"If current trends continue, Black women will wait over 100 years for equal pay." *

Black Women’s Equal Pay Day fell on July 10 this year.

According to the Equal Pay Today website, the date symbolizes, “the additional time Black women in the United States must work into the current year to earn what white, non-Hispanic men earned in the previous year.”

Curious about the work experiences of women in my family, I conducted--an admittedly unscientific--survey of five of them. I asked if they knew, or had considered, whether male co-workers--doing the same job—were paid at a higher rate.

Their answers ranged from, “Most of my co-workers were women,” to “I never thought about pay differences among people I worked with.”

They held positions as teacher assistant, security guard, transportation coordinator, and occupational therapy assistant. One of the respondents was my granddaughter, a retired Army Sargeant Major, who explained that the Army’s pay scale, for male and female soldiers, is determined by rank.

Looking back at own work history as an editor, director at a nonprofit organization, and an adult education instructor, I realized that I had never considered, or thought to question, what my male counterparts—white or Black earned; I accepted whatever salary an employer quoted.

While working full-time as the only Black female editor for a well-known New York City liberal newspaper, my salary was $50,000; it was an $18,000 increase from my previous job with the nonprofit. The notion of any pay disparity never crossed my mind.

Looking back, however, I suspect the other (white) editors—male and female—earned more.

According to equalpaytoday.org

• Black women working full-time, year-round, are paid only 66 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men.

• Over a 40-year career, this wage gap can accumulate to nearly $1 million in lost earnings.

• Occupational segregation, lack of pay transparency, unpaid caregiving responsibilities, and discrimination in hiring and promotions perpetuate the wage gap.

In March, Josh Rodgers, contributing writer for ebony.com, noted, “Occupational segregation is a significant factor. Black women are disproportionately placed in low-wage, service-oriented roles—not due to lack of ambition or skill, but because of structural barriers ….”

In February, Kyra Moeller, communications strategist for the California Budget and Policy Center, explained, “The wage gap means Black women and Black single mothers … continue to face a wage gap due to decades of systemic racism and sexism and policies that have not been updated with consideration and support for Black women ….

“This report confirms what Black women in California have known for generations — our labor is invaluable, but our worth is consistently undervalued.” 

Pay Transparency

While pay transparency was not a consideration in my family, in recent years, an increasing number of states are passing pay transparency laws that require employers to disclose wage information to employees and job applicants, and in some cases, in their job postings. Currently, 14 U.S. states plus Washington D.C. have such laws.

 “Pay secrecy is … a major contributor to wage disparities, making it difficult for Black women to negotiate for fair compensation. Black women, already underpaid, often lack the information they need to advocate for themselves …,” according to Rodgers.

The Future

Earlier this week, Delesiya Davis, lawyer and Lichtman Fellow for the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF), wrote “The Trump administration is … pursuing a slew of anti-worker regulations that would undermine wage progress for Black women (by) rolling back regulations that promote equal opportunity for training programs that can put Black women on the path to higher paying jobs …

“Our country cannot afford to ignore pay equity issues for Black women. Nearly 80 percent of Black mothers are breadwinners in their households, making their economic well-being critical to our families, communities, and economy.”

Strategies

Equal Pay Today outlines strategies for narrowing the wage gap for Black women:

1.      Expand and strengthen legislation to mandate pay transparency.

2.      Push for fair compensation in industries where Black women are overrepresented.

3.      Promote diversity in hiring and promotion practices. (Editor’s Note: A challenge under the current administration.)

4.      Implement paid family leave, flexible work arrangements, and affordable childcare options.

5.      Provide training to empower Black women to effectively negotiate salaries.

Davis said, “… the Trump administration (should) end its reckless efforts to dismantle equal employment opportunities and workplace protections. Instead, the administration and Congress must take concrete steps to embrace the diversity, equity and inclusion programs, federal workforce capacity … (that) bring us closer to pay equity for Black women.”

Yesterday, Representatives Alma Adams (D-NC), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-FL), Lois Frankel (D-FL), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), along with Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), introduced the Black Women’s Equal Pay Day Resolution, marking July 10, 2025 as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day and recognizing the ongoing, severe racial and gender wage gap Black women face in the United States.

In support of the resolution, Jocelyn C. Frye, president of NPWC, said, “While Black women often have had among the highest labor force participation for women, their work has been systematically devalued, and they must navigate hurtful stereotypes that diminish their skills and work ethic. Black women are important engines driving our economy, strengthening our workplaces, and sustaining our families.”

 * League of Women Voters of Arapahoe & Douglas Counties

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