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Statement

It’s Native Women’s Equal Pay Day! Congress Must Do More to Dismantle Structural Racism and Sexism

October 1, 2020
Equal Pay

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement from leaders of MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day – the day the wages of American Indian and Alaska Native women catch up to what White, non-Hispanic men were paid in 2019.

“Native women in the United States continue to face a severe, punitive wage gap. Today serves as a shameful reminder of this injustice, which is especially painful in a year during which health and economic crises have caused disproportionate harm in Native communities. On average, Native women are paid just 60 cents for each dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men. This gap is even more extreme for Native moms, who are paid just 47 cents for each dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic dads. Native women experience this gap across occupations and levels of education.

“This unconscionable wage gap contributes to dire poverty, and undermines the economic security and wellbeing of Native women and their families. It must end.”

-- Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising

“The appalling wage gap affecting Native women is the result of structural racism and misogyny -- the same forces that have contributed to the pandemic having an especially brutal impact on the health and financial security of Native families. Now more than ever, our nation needs elected leaders who will address these root causes of injustice and a Congress that will pass the bold policies families need to thrive. Republicans in the U.S. Senate must stop blocking the relief families desperately need and pass the HEROES Act, and the President must sign it. Doing so, along with long overdue enactment of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, is crucial to rebuilding our economy and protecting working families.

“Native women should not have to work 22 months to be paid what White men are paid in 12. America’s moms will continue to use our voices and our votes to demand change, until no woman is shortchanged on her paycheck due to her gender or race.”

-- Statement of Ruth Martin, Vice President, Workplace Justice Campaigns, MomsRising

 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.