March 15 marks the day in 2022 when women finally catch up with what men were paid in 2021 #EqualPayDay. For every dollar a man makes, women, on average, only earn 83 cents. Women of color experience a much wider #WageGap. Black, Native American and Latina women earn 58 cents, 50 cents and 49 cents for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man earns, respectively. We cannot achieve #WomensEqualPay without ensuring women of color are supported and protected in the workplace.
According to the history of the American Association of University Women, an analysis of newly released figures from the U.S Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that overall in 2020 women were paid just 83 cents for evert dollar paid to a man.
“In 2019, on average women took home 82.3 cents for every dollar paid to men, compared to 83 cents in 2020. But that number and the apparent change is misleading given the massive shifts in American labor force during the COVID-19 pandemic”.
To learn more about the gender pay gap from AAUW, click here.
California Labor Code 1197.5 and Labor Code section 432.3 contain California’s Equal Pay Act. These laws state no employer shall pay any employee at a wage rate less than an employee of a different sex or ethnicity performing substantially-similar work. Moreover, an employer may not base a wage differential on sex, ethnicity or another protected class. Instead, the employer must show valid and legal grounds for the difference in pay, such as merit, seniority, quality of production or a bona fide factor such as training, education or experience.
If you believe that you are being treated differently because of your race and/or gender, contact the Dolan Law Firm’s team of employment attorneys.
