Equal pay is not a topic that one would typically think is an urgent issue after all the past decades of fighting for civil rights – race rights, gender rights, and human rights. Yet, the pay gap has grown wider throughout the years. Over the last several years, there have been countless calls for justice, fairness, and equality, and an essential topic in the discussion of equality is pay. Black women in particular stand at a unique and disheartening intersection of the gender pay gap and the racial pay gap. And if the profound pay disparity that Black women face is not addressed, they may never catch up.
The Pay Gap
In accordance with Leanin, Black women are paid almost 40% less than their white male counterparts and a little over 20% less than white females. The pay inequality starts early; from age 16, girls are constantly paid less compared to boys, and the disparity follows them through their careers. The most shocking statistic is that the pay gap is the widest at the highest education levels for Black women.
Yes, it does exist.
A common misconception’s that the pay gap’s a myth. Many who’re believing this misinformation usually cite years of experience, child/family obligations, and industry to explain the pay gap. While those contribute to differences in salary, these arguments are often used as a gaslighting tactic to deflect from the harsh reality. It’d be a grave mistake to consider this “half information” to be the answer to the pay gap conversation.
Why?
Even on an even playing field, in the same industries, with similar experiences, Black women are still paid significantly less than their white male and female counterparts.
A few things to keep in mind:
- Black women pursue promotions and raises at about the same rate as anyone else, yet they are the least considered for advancement.
- Black women have fewer interactions with upper leadership in terms of advancement, which affects their prospects for networking, mentorships, and general recognition.
- Although Black women have the highest college enrollment rates, the pay disparity increases with more advanced degrees.
- Diversity and inclusion are still huge issues, so the racial and gender bias that already exists affects Black women in more pronounced ways, ranging from being looked over to microaggressions to negative stereotypes.
- The disparity is only exasperated, with Black women occupying less than 2% of VP, CEO, and C-suite positions. Upper management hates to admit that promotions suffer from “hometown bias,” where individuals are promoted because they share similarities with the management. If an advantage to advancement is looking like those making decisions, and you do not look like the people making decisions, you’re trapped in professional purgatory.
Five things inclusive leaders do
Like the Paycheck Fairness Act, there have been many positive strides, but much more pay equality legislation is required to strengthen current efforts to eliminate discriminatory practices. Aside from legislative change, which can take years to see its benefits, organizations can take matters into their own hands by instituting a few fundamental policy changes, such as:
- Creating pay transparency where pay ranges, tiered salaries, merit and project-based bonuses, and raises are common knowledge. If needed, conduct a pay equity study across your organization to identify potential gaps and make salary adjustments as needed
- Educate your leaders and managers on the importance of pay equity not just for Black women, but for all employees. Pay inequities stem from biased, sometimes unconscious biased thinking, which leads to biased decision making
- Investing in policies that promote and support work-family balance. This can mean reconsidering paid time off, schedule flexibility, family leave, or childcare facility, which some companies have done to great success.
- Become an ally
- Supporting career sponsorship, development, and advancement opportunities for Black women.
Black women are ready and waiting for the world to catch up. The knowledge is there, the skills are there, the aptitude is there, and the ambition is there; now, it is time for organizations to take a stand and become an ally to change. With dedication and courage, we can shift the current paradigm and construct the building blocks for a business culture led by integrity, dignity, and equity.