March 31, 2020
Ms. Foundation on Equal Pay Day
Ms. Foundation on Equal Pay Day
NEW YORK (March 31, 2020) – Ms. Foundation for Women President and CEO Teresa C. Younger released the following statement on Equal Pay Day:
“There is a certain irony in celebrating Equal Pay Day during this historic time in the United States. Today, as women around the country are suffering from lost wages, cut hours, and facing extreme economic hardships due to the spread of COVID-19, the pre-existing gaps in pay inequality are even more reprehensible.
“Even before March 2020, the statistics are bleak and should be repeated continuously: the average woman must work 91 days into the following year in order to earn as much as her white male counterpart, solely due to gender. Women of color must work even harder, and won’t catch up to white men until as late as August and October.
“On Equal Pay Day 2020, we face yet another threat to economic justice – this time in the form of a pandemic. Many hourly wage, gig, and contract workers lack paid sick leave, family leave, and medical leave at a time when our national health and economy are under threat. Women comprise two-thirds of this workforce, and a disproportionate amount of these women are women of color, who now may face reduced hours, alongside the challenges of homeschooling children and tending to family members across generations. While the administration passed a historic spending package to address the economic crisis, it’s only a start. Women who did not earn enough to file a 2018 tax return, immigrant women, and those who lack access to banks will still enter April without the funds they need to make ends meet.
“It is time that our government protects each and every one of us. Women must be guaranteed equal pay for equal work, and should not be forced to choose between their health and their livelihood. At this critical point in our nation’s history, we can work together to ensure safety, health, and financial stability for all.
“The Ms. Foundation for Women and our grantee partners remain dedicated to fighting the systemic inequality that places undue financial burdens on women. We will work tirelessly until every woman, of every background, is truly valued and treated as equal in the eyes of society.”
Ms. Foundation spokespeople are available for interviews by phone from NYC. To schedule, please contact Sunshine Sachs at [email protected].
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For 45 years, the Ms. Foundation for Women has worked to build women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. The Ms. Foundation invests in, and strengthens the capacity of women led movements to advance meaningful social, cultural, and economic change in the lives of women. With equity and inclusion as the cornerstones of true democracy, the Ms. Foundation works to create a world in which the worth and dignity of every person are valued, and power and possibility are not limited by gender, race, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or age.