From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
Facts are facts:
March 24 is Equal Pay Day for women across the country, a day that highlights the persistent pay gap by marking how far into the year women of all races and ethnicities, on average, must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. [1] You read that right: It should have been December 31, 2020.
Another fact is that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily women and moms of color, who are already living on low incomes, have kept our nation’s essentials running, from stocking grocery store shelves to keeping our hospitals sanitized. [2]
And a final fact is that over one million moms of school-aged children have been pushed out of the formal workforce in the past year alone. [3]
The alarm bells are ringing, loudly, but we have smart, strong, and incredibly popular policy solutions waiting to be passed.
To ensure we #BuildBackBetter, go to https://action.momsrising.org/sign/EqualPayDay2021 to urge our members of Congress to support and push for raising the minimum wage to $15/hr, increasing pay transparency and equity, and establishing a paid family and medical leave program! Together, these policies work in tandem to help close the wage gap.
The harmful wage gap means that women must work until TODAY in 2021, plus all of 2020, to earn what men, on average, were paid in 2020 alone.
Luckily, closing the wage gap isn’t rocket science, but it will require all of us collectively pushing our leaders in Congress to raise the minimum wage to $15/hr – and eliminate the tipped minimum wage of $2.13, increase pay transparency with the Paycheck Fairness Act, and establish a paid family and medical leave program with the FAMILY Act.
Taking action together will help to ensure women and moms are front and center in our nation’s recovery.
[1] USA Today – “Equal Pay Day: Women paid less than men – it’s worse for Black, Latina women, exacerbated by COVID-19” [2] Center for American Progress – On the Frontlines at Work and at Home: The Disproportionate Economic Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Women of Color [3] Census Bureau – Tracking Job Losses for Mothers of School-Age Children During a Health Crisis
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