For centuries, Black women’s labor has been essential to the creation, growth, and functioning of this nation and its economy. Yet Black women still aren’t being paid what they are owed.

September 21 is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day—marking how far into this year Black women must work to catch up to what white, non-Hispanic men made last year alone.

The wage gap costs Black women $1,891 per month, $22,692 per year, and a staggering loss of $907,680 over a 40-year career.

That gap stems in large part from the fact that Black women are overrepresented in low-paid jobs and face both race and sex discrimination at work. They are also often both primary caregivers and breadwinners—but outdated, sexist workplace policies too often force Black women to choose between bringing home a paycheck and caring for themselves and their families.

COVID-19 has only contributed further to these inequities: Many Black women lost their jobs, were forced into part-time work, or were pushed out of the labor force altogether.

That’s why, earlier this year, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) polled Black women across the country to understand how they’ve really been faring in the pandemic. Here’s what we found:

• Nearly one in five (19%) Black women report they lost or quit a job during the pandemic, more than three in 10 (31%) report that they or their employer reduced their hours, and almost one in four (23%) say they changed jobs during the pandemic
• Over four in 10 Black women (42%) make...

Read Full Story: https://nwlc.org/its-time-to-pay-black-women-what-theyre-owed/