“As President Trump’s latest tariffs promise to drive prices even higher, today is a painful reminder that Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women must cope with the devastating impacts of his trade war while also facing discriminatory pay practices. Overall, AANHPI women are paid an unacceptable 83 cents for every dollar paid to White men. But averaging across such a wide range of identities is dangerously misleading, and obscures the reality that many AANHPI subgroups face much more painful wage gaps. Some, such as Native Hawaiians, are paid as little as 62 cents on a White man’s dollar. That is shameful. Policymakers must treat this outrageous disparity with the urgency it deserves. 

“The wage gap persists year after year because of policy choices, and our lawmakers can and should make different choices. Congress must help protect workers from discrimination by passing the Paycheck Fairness Act. We also can’t address this harm without a clear picture of how it impacts the more than 50 unique subgroups within the AANHPI community. It’s past time for federal agencies to disaggregate income and wealth data for AANHPI workers. That would be a meaningful step toward ending these appalling disparities once and for all.”

– Statement of Taylor Austin, Campaign Director, Workplace Justice, MomsRising

“The wage gap AANHPI women face is severe, unfair, and punitive, and AANHPI moms face additional wage hits because our nation hasn’t yet advanced key policies that enable people to go to work, raise kids, and contribute to our communities. When AANHPI women are shortchanged on their paychecks, it robs families and communities of the resources needed to afford the basics, save for retirement, pursue higher education and contribute to our communities. It also harms our businesses and overall economy, which relies on the purchases made by women. We need action to close this unjust gap now.

“To make progress, we need policies that stop discrimination, address the root causes of unfair pay, and honor AANHPI women’s essential contributions. The Paycheck Fairness Act would strengthen penalties for discrimination and protect workers who speak out against unfair pay from retaliation, and passing it should be a top priority for every member of Congress. Congress must also advance paid family and medical leave, child care, and elder care, and living wages for care workers. All of these policies are essential for our business and our economy’s success.  

“We are counting on our elected leaders to address the needs of working people who power our economy, not just the wealthy few. Moms will continue to fight until the wage gap for AANHPI women is a thing of the past, along with the systemic racism, sexism and xenophobia that drive it. ”

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