The Workplace Whisperer
Let’s Talk About Checks, Baby: Reducing the Racial Wage Gap
Office advice for women of color who know that leaning in doesn’t always work
In recent years, a significant amount of study has been dedicated to addressing the gender wage gap. Organizations such as the National Partnership for Women and Families frequently report on the gender wage gap by utilizing U.S. Census data to track wages and workforce participation rates. According to its most recent report, on average, women are paid 82 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men who perform similar work.
However, when this statistic is disaggregated, a much more grim picture of inequality emerges. Black women are only paid 62 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic males, and depending on what state and industry a Black woman lives and works in, she may earn as little 47 cents on the White male dollar. Native American women are paid 58 cents on the dollar, Latina women, 54 cents; White women, 79 cents; and Asian women, though they fare better than the rest of us, still only receive 90 cents on the White, non-Hispanic male dollar.
While these numbers are abysmal in the microeconomic sense, what is sometimes lost is the long-term impact of unequal pay over an…
