Women still make only 78 cents for every dollar paid to a man

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 11, 2024 – Each year Equal Pay Day (this year, March 12th) marks the persistent wage inequality women face across the country, and as we look towards a critical election year, the wage gap is just one indicator that the stakes are high for working families. Analysis from the National Partnership for Women & Families shows that women make just 78 cents for every dollar white, non-hispanic men make. This wage gap adds up to more than $11,000 for a woman in the course of a year, costing all women more than $1.6 trillion in pay each year. When women are the leaders of their families and breadwinners for their households – as half of mothers in the U.S. are – families that depend on these paychecks struggle more to keep up with inflation, provide necessities and to save and invest over time.

With fair pay, women would have more money in their pockets to cover basic expenses, like food, utilities, and the ever-rising cost of child care and health care. They could pay off their student loans more quickly and be able to invest in their financial futures. More women could show loan companies that they have the means to take on a mortgage – and make the monthly payments.

For women of color and disabled women – who face additional systemic barriers to job equity and economic growth – the pay gap is even worse:

• Latinas are typically paid just 52 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men – a difference of $29,230 per year.
• Black women are typically paid just 66 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men – a difference of $20,380 per year.
• Native American women are typically paid just 55 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men – a difference of $25,275 per year.
• Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women are typically paid 80 cents for every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic man – a difference of $11,466 per year.

Occupational segregation, such as the overrepresentation of women in low wage work, and the lack of workplace policies to support workers’ caregiving and health needs are all factors contributing to the gender pay gap. Additionally, the attacks on abortion care and reproductive rights have devastating economic consequences for women: states that take extreme measures to ban abortion are also likely to have a higher wage gap in their state and lower wages for women overall.

Public polling shows that working families want policymakers, business leaders, and advocates to fight to close the wage gap and build an economy that works for everyone. The National Partnership for Women & Families has been leading the fight – bringing together Congress, the White House, and business leaders, to pass legislation to close the wage gap. Measures such as the Paycheck Fairness Act, and efforts to ramp up pay data collection and transparency efforts are critical tools for uncovering pay disparities and finally closing the gender and racial wage gap.

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Media Contact:

Miriam Cash
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