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In case you weren't aware, today is Equal Pay Day. Basically, Equal Pay Day is the day that represents how far into the new year women theoretically have to work in order to earn the same amount of money that men earned the previous year. It exists to symbolize the gender wage gap and bring awareness to the fact that women are still getting paid less than men, in twenty-freaking-seventeen. But, unfortunately, the pay gap is even greater for women of color. So, when is Equal Pay Day for minority women? Well, it depends on a variety of factors, including ethnicities, race, and more. But, basically, any Equal Pay Day for most minority women will be much later in the year than the original date.
In a 2016 study by Pew Research Center, it was discovered that, while all women lag behind white men in the pay gap, "white and Asian women have narrowed the wage gap with white men to a much greater degree than black and Hispanic women." So, just how much less are minority women making than their white female and male counterparts? The answer is upsetting, yes, but also important to fully uncover in the journey to equality for all.
Equal Pay Day For Native Women
According to the American Association of University Women, Equal Pay Day for Native Women falls on Sept. 3, and yes, you read that correctly. "American Indian and Alaska Native women are paid just 58 cents for every dollar white men are paid," they conclude. "For Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, that number is 60 cents."
So, yeah, for every 12 months that white men work, Native women have to work a total of 21 months just to earn the same amount.
Equal Pay Day For Asian Women
Surprisingly, Equal Pay Day for Asian Women comes before the national date. The National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum confirms that March 7 is Equal Pay Day for Asian Women, as "an Asian American women, on average, earns 85 cents for every dollar a white man earns." While this may seem more encouraging than the national average, it's still important to note that Asian women continue to have to work over two months more than white men just to get the same paycheck.
Oh, and another reminder that it's 2017.
Equal Pay Day For Latina Women
Unfortunately, the 2016 Latina Women Equal Pay Day wasn't until Nov. 1. Compared to other minorities, Latina women get paid the least for equal work. As TIME reports, "Hispanic women are not projected to achieve equal pay until 2248."
While black women also must work longer, in 2015, Latina women earned only 58 cents for every dollar made by a white man. And yes, this is ridiculous, and what's even more ridiculous is that white women are expected to achieve equal pay by 2056.
Equal Pay Day For Black Women
While black men also earn significantly less than white men (and also less than white and Asian women), black women are still further behind. While white women have greatly narrowed the wage gap, "black women only narrowed that gap by 9 cents, from earning 56 cents for every dollar earned by a white man in 1980 to 65 cents today."
So, Equal Pay Day for black women falls on Aug. 12, almost 8 full months longer than what white men work to make the same amount of money.
In case none of this moved you to speak out against the sorry state of equality in the United States (despite all the gains made in recent decades), I'll reiterate: it's 2017.
You'd think we'd be past this by now.
