Black Women's Equal Pay Day is an annual observance that spotlights the wage discrepancy faced by African American women in the United States. Recognized since 2006, this day signifies the point into the current year that black women must work to earn what their white male counterparts made during the previous year, illustrating the persistent racial and gender pay gap.
Black Women's Equal Pay Day was established by the National Committee on Pay Equity, as part of a wider endeavor to eradicate wage discrimination. The observance emphasizes the economic injustice, highlighting that on average, black women have to work nearly eight extra months to equal what white, non-Hispanic men earn in a year. This wage gap is wider for black women than for women in almost every other racial or ethnic group, leaving black women at a significant economic disadvantage.
The date of Black Women's Equal Pay Day varies in each calendar year as it symbolizes the number of additional days into the new year black women need to work to achieve pay parity with white men. Determining factors include changes in wage growth rates. However, typically, it falls in August, underscoring the additional time needed for black women to achieve pay equality.
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Facts about Black Womens Equal Pay Day
According to the U.S. Census, in 2021, Black women had the highest labor force participation rate among all women. Statistics also show that Black and Latina women are more likely to work in low-wage jobs.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, in 2021, Black women in the labor force earned 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men.
According to the AAUW, in the United States, about 80% of Black women are the breadwinners in their household.
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Watch Bloomberg's 2020 Black Women's Equal Pay Day video if you missed it. The video looks into the gender wage gap and explores different ways to shrink it.
