July 10th, 2025, is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, commemorating how far into the year that Black women need to work to earn what white, non-Hispanic men made in the previous year. In 2023, Black women earners, including full-time, part-time and part-year workers, were paid just 64 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. Even when just looking at those working full-time, year-round, Black women were paid only 66 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
Addressing the pay gap for Black women will require decisive action from policymakers to mitigate the drivers of pay inequity, including workplace discrimination, lack of pay transparency, and unpaid care work. Without intervention, and at the current rate at which the wage gap is narrowing, it will take more than 300 years for Black women working full time, year round to close the wage gap.
But the finish line for Black women may be pushed even further away because of the Trump administration’s anti-woman, anti-worker and anti-civil rights agenda.
A recent alarming indicator of stalled progress for Black women shows up in recent jobs data. While Black women’s unemployment declined in June, more than 130,000 Black women left the labor force. The share of Black women who are working is now at its lowest level since late 2021.
The same reckless agenda that is driving Black women from the economy and making it harder for them to find a job will also stall progress towards pay equity for these workers.
Trump’s Attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Will Leave Black Women With Fewer Opportunities for Good Paying Jobs
Within the first week of Trump being back in office, he issued multiple executive orders (EO) aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs, such as EO 14173, “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” and EO 14151, “Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.” These orders eliminated federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs and ended government partnerships with diversity, equity and inclusion focused organizations. In addition to the EOs, the administration has also threatened to pull funding from institutions that receive federal funding if they take part in diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives or programs.
Though the administration states that these EOs will help end discrimination, they will likely create more discrimination. The purpose of diversity, equity and inclusion programs is to make opportunities more accessible for those who need them and to combat systemic racism. Diversity, equity and inclusion programs help close the wage gap by promoting fair hiring practices, which can lead to career advancement, a problem that women and people of color have struggled with historically. Additionally, diversity, equity and inclusion programs help veterans and people with disabilities. In the United States, roughly 3.5 million Black women have a disability, and 20.3 percent of women veterans are Black. Without diversity, equity and inclusion programs, these women could have a hard time finding employment due to misconceptions around their identities.
The Trump administration’s attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government and those who receive funding from the federal government, limits employment options for Black women and removes protections that were in place to prevent discrimination, which only contributes to the wage gap.
Mass Firings of Federal Workers Are Poised to Harm Black Women
During the Trump Administration’s first 100 days, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) conducted several rounds of mass firings throughout the federal government. Some of the positions targeted were said to be tied to diversity, equity and inclusion and or included language such as gender, justice and equity. While the full impact of these attacks is not yet evident – and workers and unions are fighting back – it’s clear that Black women are at risk. Black women are especially likely to be federal workers; Black women’s share of the federal civilian workforce is almost double their share of the overall workforce, leaving them especially vulnerable to mass firings.
Not only do these mass firings impact public services like medical care for veterans and providing Social Security checks, but they also dismantle a critical pathway for better pay for Black women. Compared to their counterparts in the private sector, Black women in federal jobs are paid more, have better benefits, and are more likely to have union representation, contributing to a generally narrower pay gap. Mass firings threaten progress on pay equity for Black women.
Regulatory Rollbacks Will Leave Black Women With Fewer Workplace Protections and Job Opportunities
The Trump administration is also pursuing a slew of anti-worker regulations that would undermine wage progress for Black women. This includes rolling back regulations that promote equal opportunity for training programs that can put Black women on the path to higher paying jobs, and protections that ensure home care workers, who are disproportionately Black women, have overtime protections.
The Trump administration has also been transparent about its intentions to rollback regulations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), a law that entitles pregnant women to accommodations on the job. While the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) does not currently have a quorum to partially or fully rescind the rules that implemented the law, confirmation of recent nominees could mean all or parts of the rule could be rescinded in the coming months. If the administration rescinds the rule, 2.8 million pregnant workers could be at risk each year, including the 62 percent of Black women who are employed while they are pregnant. As Black women are already disproportionately affected by pregnancy discrimination, narrowing or eliminating the rule could put Black women at a heightened risk of illegal discrimination and potential job loss at a time when they need it most.
The Trump Administration Must Abandon its Attack on Black Women
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.
This Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, we call on the Trump administration to 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, and workplace rights that benefit all Americans and bring us closer to pay equity for Black women.
