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Statement

Today is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day, and It’s Past Time for Progress

April 5, 2023
Equal Pay

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement from leaders of MomsRising, the national online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day:

“In the United States today, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women continue to lose valuable, hard-earned income to the wage gap – income they could use for food, housing, child care, health care, retirement savings and more. On average, AANHPI women working full-time are paid just 92 cents for every dollar paid to white men. That’s wrong, unjustifiable and incredibly harmful, and averages only reveal part of the picture. For many AANHPI communities, the damage is even greater –  for example, Burmese and Nepalese women face one of the widest wage gaps in the country and are paid just 48 cents on the dollar compared to white men. AANHPI moms face additional wage hits because of systemic biases and lack of support for caregiving.

“To make progress, we must do away with the ‘model minority’ myth that disregards the diversity of AANHPI communities and erases the experiences of low-income AANHPI women. We won’t close the wage up until we tackle its root causes with comprehensive legislation and investments. That should be a top priority for every member of Congress.”

– Statement of Taylor Austin, Campaign Manager, Workplace Justice at MomsRising

“Structural racism and sexism, inadequate workplace protections and lack of a care infrastructure drive the wage gap for AANHPI women, and the consequences are devastating for AANHPI families and communities and for our economy. Lawmakers have decided to let these problems continue, unchecked – but they can choose a different course.

“Congress must pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to increase penalties for wage discrimination, promote pay transparency, and protect those who speak out about unfair pay. It’s also long past time we gave the lowest-wage workers a much-needed boost by raising the minimum wage. And Congress has an opportunity in the FY24 budget to pass historic investments in a care infrastructure, including paid family and medical leave, child care, elder and disability care and living wages for care workers. These investments are essential to building an economy that works for all of us. 

“Moms will continue to fight for a future in which no one is shortchanged on her paycheck because of her gender or race. AANHPI women and moms deserve fair pay, now.”

– Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO of 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.