WeeklySA_AdminPAY GAP: Research by the US National Women’s Law Center reveals they earn far less than white men in a lifetime
By Monk Nkomo
RACE and gender discrimination was still rife in the workplace in the United States of America where black women needed to work until they were 83 years-old to reach the salaries white men make when they reach 60 years of age.
The shocking disparity is contained in a recent research report by the National Women’s Law Center released a month ago.
In a preface to the report, the NWLC says: “Black workers have always faced discrimination in the U.S. workforce, even as they helped literally build America and provided the foundations for its economy. Today, it takes longer for Black workers to find jobs and when they do, they’re paid less than their white peers.”
This pay gap is especially stark for Black women, who face not only race discrimination, but also sex discrimination, according to the report.
“Among full-time, year-round workers, Black women typically make just 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. This disparity has only closed by 3 cents over the last thirty years, which means Black women are not projected to reach equal pay until the year 2130,” the NWLC adds.
According to the report, there were many reasons why the wage gap persisted and the coronavirus pandemic had made matters worse for black women.
“Factors like student loan debt and caregiving duties also exacerbate the wage gap issue, even though Black women are stepping up in the professional world more than other racial groups. More than one in three Black women (36,8%) worked in frontline jobs before the public health crisis, compared to 12,6 percent of white men.
The research also established that Black women working full-time made one million dollars less than white men during their careers.
‘’Black women, on average, are currently paid 63 cents for every dollar (approx. R14) that White men make. That amounts to a loss of $2,009 (about R28 000) a month, $24,110 (about R342 308 a year), translating to $964,400 (about R14m) over 40 years for Black women.
This stark reality is why August 3 is marked (in the US) Black Women’s Equal Pay Day every year, which signifies the extra 214 days Black women would need to work each year to catch up to white men’s salaries. Put it this way; Black women will have to work until they are 83 years old to reach the salaries white men make at age 60.
Reacting to the discriminatory wage gap, Tiffany Williams, a business and marketing strategist told AfroTech, a black business news digital platform, that the issue was not publicly discussed as it should be.
‘’The wage gap is so prominent because there’s lack of understanding on ways you should negotiate your salary as well as there’s still a lack in employee and training support to help enhance employees’ work style’’.
The research also showed that, at the height of the pandemic in April last year, 16,5 percent of Black women reported that they were unemployed compared to 12,3 percent of White men.
‘’This past June, 8,5 percent of Black women reported being unemployed compared to 5,2 percent of white men. Research supports (the view) that Black women are experiencing more extended hardship coming out of this health crisis, compared to other racial groups.’’
Williams said employers were today desperately seeking help and throwing people in the fire without properly training them to their policies and procedures. ‘’That allows for a lack of knowledge and a low-end to fight for your worth in the long run’’, she added.
The question was being asked on how to beat the wage gap. The National Women’s Law Center suggested that equal pay laws should be bolstered, the availability of affordable childcare should be expanded and women’s wages in low -paid jobs be increased.
The research concluded that these suggestions seemed fair and straightforward ‘’ but there is no telling of how long it will take America to get with the program.’’
Williams had some words of advice for women who planned to leave their full-time jobs to pursue entrepreneurship:
* Understand that entrepreneurship is a marathon, sometimes it is a sprint, but it will take time to build a brand;
* Save up at least six to 12 months of expenses before leaving your job; and
* Create an action plan of how you plan on running your business.
The NWLC was established in 1972 as a project of the Center for Law and Social Policy to secure and advance legal rights and protections for women in the courts, in the US Congress and in the states.
As a women’s rights project, NWLC counts as victories the landmark Supreme Court ruling legalising abortion, protections for pregnant workers, new enforcement to ensure child support, and much more.
In the 1990s, the project helped pass major child care legislation and improved remedies for sexual harassment, secure the opening of military institutes and thousands of military jobs to women.
