#NotAllWomen: Why Women’s Equal Pay Day is just the beginning

The data in this article was provided by the American Association of University Women in this article. Note that Women’s Equal Pay Days are recalculated each year based on the previous year’s data.

Women’s Equal Pay Day

As you may have heard, yesterday was Women’s Equal Pay Day. That’s because women who worked in 2022 in the U.S. had to keep working all the way through March 14, 2023 to earn what men made in 2022.

I don’t know about you, but I sure could’ve used an extra two-and-a-half month’s salary last year!

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

In 2022, women working full-time in the U.S. earned just 84 cents for every dollar men made. And when you take into account part-time and seasonal workers, that number drops to 77 cents.

But, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, Women’s Equal Pay Day is just the beginning of the story.

Other Women’s Equal Pay Days

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day will be on July 27th this year. Black women working full-time, year-round in 2022 earned just 67 cents to every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men. I know not everyone is a former math teacher like me, but that means for every three dollars a white man makes, Black women are making only two.

Now let’s talk about mothers. Moms’ Equal Pay Day is on August 15th. Moms are earning 74 cents to the dollar men make. That number drops to 62 cents when we include part-time and seasonal workers. So for those of us earning the main or only paycheck for the family, our households may be at a huge disadvantage.

In 2023, Latina’s Equal Pay Day is on October 5th. October 5th! Latinas working full-time, year-round earned only 57 cents last year for every dollar non-Hispanic white men made. It will take Latinas until October 5th of this year to earn what their non-Hispanic white male counterparts made in 2022.

But we’re not finished. Native Women’s Equal Pay Day is November 30th. Take that one in for a moment. Native women working full-time, year-round were also paid just 57 cents last year for each dollar non-Hispanic white men made. But when we account for all earners by including folks who worked part-time or seasonally, that number drops to 51 cents. It will take almost two full years for Native women to earn what non-Hispanic white men in the U.S. made in just one year.

We will acknowledge LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day on June 15th. But the wage gap experienced by LGBTQIA+ folks is not fully understood at this time because of a lack of accurate data in this area.

Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day has not yet been designated for this year. But we do know that AANHPI women working full-time, year-round earned 92 cents last year compared to every dollar non-Hispanic white men made, and 80 cents when we include part-time and seasonal workers.

Now What?

I’m not telling you all this just to be a bummer. Yes, these statistics are infuriating. And yes, having to work twice as much to earn what a man is making is exhausting.

The point is to get fired up. The point is to start asking why things are the way they are. And not just each other, but the people who make the decisions.

Photo by Maria Thalassinou on Unsplash

Has your company done an audit to ensure that employees are paid equitably across all demographics? If not, why not? That’s a valid question for you to ask your leadership.

Have you negotiated for your salary at every opportunity, including advocating for raises and promotions? If not, why not? That’s a valid question for you to ask yourself.

Have you worked to normalize talking about salary amongst your colleagues and friends? If not, why not? It’s tough to break social norms, but the more we do it, the easier it becomes.

Doing the work to dismantle the patriarchy, white supremacy, and their role in capitalism is exhausting. But is it really more exhausting than working an extra two-and-a-half months, seven months, or even eleven months just to earn what our white male counterparts make in a year?

And for the male allies reading this, you can ask these questions too. Use your power and your privilege to change the system.

Let’s make Equal Pay Day January 1st for everyone!