New data shows women still earn just 81 cents on the dollar, with steeper gaps for Black women and Latinas

By Stacy M. Brown

Contributing Writer

(The Washington Informer) – Families across the United States depend on women’s earnings at levels not seen in prior generations, yet new data shows that women working full time, year-round continue to be paid less than men in every state, with even wider disparities affecting Black women and Latinas.

According to a newly released fact sheet from the National Women’s Law Center, women working full time, year-round were typically paid 81 cents for every dollar paid to men in 2024, a decline from prior years that left women earning a median of $13,570 less annually.

The gap grows larger when all workers are considered. When part-time and part-year workers are included, women were paid just 76 cents for every dollar paid to men in 2024. The data shows that pay inequality is not only persistent, but widening, with serious consequences for families that depend on women’s wages to cover housing, child care, groceries, and other basic needs.

“No matter how you slice it, women in the U.S. who work full time are paid less than men,” the authors stated.

The wage gap affects women across all racial and ethnic groups, but the scale of the disparity varies significantly.

Black women working full time, year-round typically make only 65 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. When part-time and part-year workers are included, that number drops to 63 cents.

Latinas face an even larger gap. They are typically paid 58 cents on the dollar compared to white, non-Hispanic men in full-time, year-round work.

The long-term consequences are significant. Based on current wage patterns, Latinas entering the workforce today stand to lose $1,344,800 over a 40-year career compared to white, non-Hispanic men.

White, non-Hispanic women also experience a gap, earning about 77 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men in full-time, year-round work, and about 73 cents when all workers are included.

“Extremists are attacking diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, also known as DEI, and are using anti-DEI hysteria to undermine core civil rights protections,” the authors wrote. “For our democracy to work for all of us, not just the rich and powerful few, we must work to counter the rise of authoritarianism and protect the right to vote.”

A woman working full time, year-round stands to lose an estimated $542,000 over a 40-year career due to the wage gap.

For women of color, the losses are even greater. Black women stand to lose more than $1.1 million over a lifetime, while Latinas face losses exceeding $1.3 million.

Mothers working full time, year-round are typically paid 74 cents for every dollar paid to fathers, translating to about $20,000 less per year. Women earn less than men in 94 percent of occupations, and disparities persist across industries and education levels.

“With women paid only 81 cents for every dollar paid to men, it’s clear that we have a long way to go to make the workplace fair for women in the United States,” the authors concluded.

“Today is Equal Pay Day, marking how far into 2026 women have to work to earn what men did in 2025,” Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D) of Virginia wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on March 26. “For moms, women of color and women with disabilities, this day falls even further into the year. Women deserve equal pay for equal work, but for the second year in a row, the pay gap has widened and women working full-time, year-round earn 81 cents for every dollar men earn.”

Freedom Fighting for Equal Pay: ‘Pay Us What We Deserve’

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and the Democratic Women’s Caucus teamed up to advocate for wage equity on Equal Pay Day 2026.

“On average, women earn just 76 cents for every dollar paid to men – and the gender wage gap is even wider for women of color,” DeLauro wrote on X on March 26, including photos from a protest in support of closing the wage gap. “I won’t stop fighting until Congress passes my Paycheck Fairness Act [and] ends this disparity for good!”

Last year, DeLauro and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act in hopes of strengthening the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

“We are in a cost-of-living crisis – this must end,” DeLauro said in a 2025 statement. “Equal pay for equal work is a simple concept – men and women in the same job deserve the same pay. It is time we make it real it for the millions of American women who are being unfairly undervalued in the workplace.”

Rep. Robin Kelly (D) of Illinois joined the large group of Congressional leaders and activists on March 26, advocating for compensation and employment equity, particularly for women of color. “It doesn’t matter if a Black woman has a PhD – she still earns less than a man doing the same work,” Kelly wrote on X. “As a Black woman with a PhD, that’s more than concerning. Pay us what we deserve. Period.”

This article originally published in the April 6, 2026 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.