Forbes, August 13, 2020: Why Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2020 Is So Important
On average, Black women typically make just 62 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, according to Equal Pay Today. Parental status also impacts the wage gap, with Black mothers making just 50 cents to every dollar a white father makes. The pandemic and social unrest about racial injustice have amplified existing inequities in America.
“Caregiving duties are falling on women across the board, and Black women are more likely to be family breadwinners and also single mothers,” says Chandra Thomas Whitfield, journalist and podcast host of “In The Gap.” “This year’s Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is especially unique, because we are either working from home or, if you’re an essential worker, trying to figure out childcare. At the same time, research shows that women and minorities tend to be the first fired and last rehired during an economic downturn, so it will be even harder for Black women to catch up.”
So why are Black women already starting from so far behind? Here is what some of the research tells us.
