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The Pay Gap Is Even Worse for Black Women, and That’s Everyone’s Problem
July 21, 2015
Would you like to work seven extra months for free just to earn the same paycheck as your male co-workers? We didn’t think so. Unfortunately, if you’re a black woman in the United States, that’s a likely reality.
Black women were paid 63 percent of what non-Hispanic white men were paid in 2014. That means it takes the typical black woman nearly seven extra months to be paid what the average white man took home back on December 31. That’s even worse than the national pay gap for all women, 79 percent, as reported in AAUW’s The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap. Think about how that adds up in the course of a career, and we’re talking about losing a daunting chunk of change over a lifetime.
Women of Color in the Workplace
The wage gap is most severe for women of color. Consider these facts about the paychecks of black and Hispanic women in the workplace:
In 2013, Black men earned 75.1% of a white man's earnings and Black women 64%; white women earned 78% and Hispanic women earned 54%. So for every dollar a white man earns, white women and people of color earn less and by those amounts. White women earned more than Black men, Black women and Hispanic women. Black men were next, earning more than Black women and Hispanic women.
July 21, 2015
Would you like to work seven extra months for free just to earn the same paycheck as your male co-workers? We didn’t think so. Unfortunately, if you’re a black woman in the United States, that’s a likely reality.
Black women were paid 63 percent of what non-Hispanic white men were paid in 2014. That means it takes the typical black woman nearly seven extra months to be paid what the average white man took home back on December 31. That’s even worse than the national pay gap for all women, 79 percent, as reported in AAUW’s The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap. Think about how that adds up in the course of a career, and we’re talking about losing a daunting chunk of change over a lifetime.
Women of Color in the Workplace
The wage gap is most severe for women of color. Consider these facts about the paychecks of black and Hispanic women in the workplace:
- Of full-time workers, black women's median weekly earnings ($429) were only 64% of the earnings of white men ($669) in the year 2000.
- In one year, the average black woman earns approximately $12,000 less than the average white man does. Over a 35-year career, this adds up to $420,000!
- Among full-time, year-round workers, black women with Bachelors' degrees make only $1,545 more per year than white males who have only completed high school.
- Black women account for 30% of all female-headed families in the U.S. They have a median income of $18,244 annually, while families headed by white males (no wife present) have a median income of $39,240. (Notes: 1-Income is more inclusive than earnings. 2-The term "female-headed families" does not necessarily include the presence of children.)
- According to the Census Bureau, in 2000, the median full-time earnings for Hispanic women were $20,527 only 52% of the median earnings of white men ($37,339).
- In one year, the average Hispanic woman working full-time earns $17,837 less than the average white man does. Over a 30-year career, that adds up to $510,000!
- The median income of a female Hispanic householder ($20,765) is only 46% of the incomes of single white male householders ($44,988). (Note: Income is more inclusive than earnings.)
- Hispanic women with a high school diploma earn $22,469. That is 33% less than white men with the same level of education.
In 2013, Black men earned 75.1% of a white man's earnings and Black women 64%; white women earned 78% and Hispanic women earned 54%. So for every dollar a white man earns, white women and people of color earn less and by those amounts. White women earned more than Black men, Black women and Hispanic women. Black men were next, earning more than Black women and Hispanic women.