Tomorrow is Leap Day. And while we get an extra day in 2020, that’s not enough for women’s earnings to catch up to men’s. Women still face an average wage gap of almost 20% and many women of color face much larger gaps. That is why the Equal Pay Day Chicago coalition announces that we will hold Chicago’s 2020 rally to end the gender wage gap on the last equal pay day observed in 2020—Latina Equal Pay Day on October 29th—rather than on March 31st when Equal Pay Day, marking the average gap for women, is observed nationally.
With this move, we recognize that we won’t close the gender wage gap until every woman is compensated with equal pay for equal work. While on average, women earn 82% of what men earn, women of color routinely experience much wider wage gaps due to the compounding effects of gender and racial discrimination. Asian American and Pacific Islander women make an average of 90% of what white men earn, but some ethnic subgroups make as little as 50%. Black women make 65%. Native women make 57%. And Latinas make just 54%.
“When we discuss the gender wage gap, it is important to recognize the true barriers Latinas face,” said Linda Xóchitl Tortolero, President & CEO of Mujeres Latinas en Acción. “By rallying on this day, we put the experiences of women of color at the forefront. Every woman deserves a fighting chance to help their families thrive.”
“The average wage gap number we hear so often doesn’t tell the whole story,” said Barb Yong of Golan Christie Taglia LLP, chair of the Equal Pay Day Chicago coalition. “On the 10th annual equal pay event that our coalition has organized, we seek to lift up all women in this movement for pay equity.”
