Women of every color and race in the US earn 82% of what white men earn. At the current rate of change in the pay gap, America won’t be able to get rid of an unequal wage dilemma and see pay equality at least until 2093.

Now imagine working extra seven months (full-time) to earn what white men in the US earn. That’s the plight of being a Black woman professional in America.

Black women continue to trail their white counterparts in employment outcomes and equal wages. Their labor participation rate stands higher, yet their rate of occupying higher-level jobs, stability, promotion, benefits, and greater mobility remains lower. Black women are paid only 62 cents to every dollar paid to non-Hispanic, white male counterparts. This means that throughout their career, these women will lose over $946,000 due to the wage gap.

August 13, 2020 will mark the approximate days a Black woman must work into the new year to catch up with what white men earned the last year. The equal payday is a representation of disparities almost every black woman faces in the workplace and her determination to fight it

The pay gap for black women is unacceptable and undermines their strength as a professional. Let’s discuss everything that’s wrong with the gender pay gap system for Black women in America:

Intersectional Discrimination

The unequal wage gap is fueled by many factors with the race being the topmost of them. When it comes to Black women, they are at the intersection of race and gender discrimination. Both forms of discrimination might be different but are compounded together when faced at the same time.

Black women have one of the sharpest earnings differences with white men, who are the highest earners. Yet, they lag behind Black men and white women too. Intersectional discrimination makes Black women the least favorable when it comes to better or increased pay.

Unfortunately, everyone in the job market today knows this, but even after the legal rulings, no staunch actions to improve the situation have been taken as such.

Biases, Black Women And Unequal Wage

Black women, even after struggling with stereotypes and discrimination, are working in every industry imaginable. Yet they still face the misconceptions stemming from their gender and race. This results in unique challenges, unfair workload, prejudicial expectations, discrimination, glass-cliff assignments, and biased assumptions.

These biases and discrimination make then unfit in the workplace when compared to the other racial and ethnic groups or men. Black women have to navigate through these all the while confronting the bigger challenge of not earning what they should. These biases are the reason that companies have been cashing out on the intellect, intelligence, and the work of black women without paying them equal or more than the other employees.

Highest Labor Force

Black women make up the highest labor force participation with the lowest-paying jobs. The historical narrative of America that devalued the status of Black women is still in place although the effects aren’t as direct as they used to be. Almost 80% of the black women are the primary breadwinner of the family or the major income of the house depends on their shoulders. With the responsibility of running a house, they are left with no choice but to work whichever job they get, even when they have high in-demand degrees. It is assumed that Black women do not work hard, thus their performance should be monitored. In addition, black women are told they should be satisfied with any job they get rather than deserving the best job as per their skill.

Can you expect an equal paycheck for Black women in a society that functions on this thought pattern?

Occupational Segregation

As mentioned, Black women are likely to be concentrated in lower-paying service jobs. Even though they have technical degrees like in science, technology, engineering & math (STEM), black women are less likely to work in higher-paying positions.

The percentage of Black women who are full-time minimum-wage workers is higher than any other racial group. What’s more, women in the service industry get paid way less than women in any other occupation. This is the reason, a liveable wage for Black women (or women in general) is crucial.

Not just the low-paying jobs and spectrum, the Black women are underrepresented at the top too. Single black women in their 40s have only 24% of the wealth of their white counterparts, even with education. They make up a very small percentage of C-suite & management positions, which shows that they aren’t allowed to grow even with an appropriate degree. In these careers where women successfully break up the discrimination and enter the high-level, they are welcomed by biases and an unequal wage.

WHY EQUAL PAY MATTERS?

The wage gap harms Black women every day. They earn $4,628.57 less on average than the white male counterpart due to the gender wage gap. Due to discrimination and bias, their values and worth in the workplace have eroded over the decades. There are around 1.4 million households headed by black women that live in poverty due to unequal pay.

The wage gap is compounded by racism, and the laws are required not only to be built but to combat discriminatory pay practices. Not just Equal pay, but these women deserve paid leaves & sick lives, affordable childcare, and a wage that is in line with their talent, skills, and work hours.

“Black women being paid equal isn’t any social initiative, but it is their right. It is high time the true pay equity addresses the racialized and gendered injustices black women face every day. Black women should be paid what they truly deserve, and not what white men think they deserve.”