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Statement

It’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day. We Must End Structural Racism in All its Forms.

March 9, 2021
Workplace Justice, Equal Pay

Lisa Lederer, 202/371-1996

Statement from leaders of MomsRising, a national online and on-the-ground organization of more than one million mothers and their families, on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Women’s Equal Pay Day – the day that marks how long AAPI women have to work in 2021 to catch up to what White, non-Hispanic men were typically paid in 2020.

“Today serves as a painful annual reminder of the unjust wage gaps Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women face. On average, AAPI women in the United States are paid just 85 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men. Averages don’t tell the whole story, and AAPI women of some ethnic backgrounds face even more punitive gaps. For example, between 2015 and 2019, Samoan women were paid just 60 cents, and Burmese women just 52 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men. These racist, sexist gaps and the structural racism that drives them must end. 

“The wage gap does great harm to the economic security of AAPI women and the families who rely on their income, making it harder for them to make ends meet. AAPI women are overrepresented in low-wage positions and are more likely to work in service industries, such as the restaurant industry, which have been devastated by the pandemic. In this moment of crisis for working families, it is more important than ever that we take bold action to boost economic security for all, raise the minimum wage, create a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, and ensure no one is shortchanged on her paycheck due to her gender or race. We cannot have an equitable recovery otherwise.”

--Statement of Donna Norton, Executive Vice President, MomsRising 

“We cannot close the wage gap without fully understanding how it affects AAPI women of all backgrounds and ethnicities, but federal agencies aren’t currently required to collect the detailed data we need to do so. That must change. We also urge Congress to immediately pass and President Biden to sign the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would promote pay transparency and strengthen penalties for wage discrimination.

“During this time when we have seen a horrific spike in violence toward AAPI communities, we must all commit to ending racism and bias in all its forms. It’s long past time we move past the ‘model minority’ myth and instead recognize and fight the discrimination AAPI women face in the workplace and in our communities. We will not rest until this wage gap is closed and the structural racism that plagues our society ends.”

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