Today is the FIRST EVER Disabled Women's Equal Pay Day!
Wage and disability groups across the country are raising awareness about the pay gaps experienced by women with disabilities and the policy reforms needed to address one of the largest and most persistent wage gaps experienced by women workers.
Disabled women are paid only 50 cents for every dollar paid to a nondisabled man.
Ridiculous, right?
That’s why today is the first-ever #DisabledWomensEqualPayDay.
Boost to spread awareness about the barriers to equal pay and help us close the gap.
For every $1 paid to nondisabled men, disabled women working full time, part time, or part year bring home just 50 cents.
This pay gap is rooted in ableism and must end.
And - right on schedule - the pay gap is wider for disabled women of color.
(Thanks, racism.)
Intersectional sexism, racism, and ableism mean they’re paid even *less* than nondisabled men.
We need equal pay now to lift ALL disabled women out of poverty.
Having more education doesn’t help close the wage gap for disabled women: they face a wage gap at all education levels compared to nondisabled men.
If disabled women were paid the money lost to the wage gap for just one year, on average they could each pay for:
💸 More than 2 years of child care
💸Almost 3 years of food costs
💸19 months of rent
💸Their entire student loan debt in 18 months
The Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963, but wage gaps for many groups persist.
Today, the first-ever #DisabledWomensEqualPayDay, it's time to demand that employers recognize disabled women workers and invest in them.
Job segregation, subminimum wages, employment discrimination and more all contribute to the wage gap for working disabled women.
This #DisabledWomensEPD, we’re calling for systemic policy changes from Congress and federal government agencies.
Care work is work.
Disabled women – both caregivers and care recipients – deserve the funding to live and work in our communities.
Tell your Congressional Rep to pass the HCBS Access Act to make it happen.
Forced poverty must end.
Draconian public benefit rules trap disabled women in poverty.
We need to eliminate these barriers and allow disabled women to work and thrive.
Tell Congress to pass the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act.
To support pay equity for disabled women, we must end segregated workplaces and subminimum wages.
Take action for better jobs and fair pay for disabled workers!
Tell Congress: Pass Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act!
To promote policies that better support the economic health of disabled folks, we need more accurate and inclusive data on disability & pay equity – particularly for multi-marginalized disabled folks – from across the US government.
[Side quest: Did you know that funding for the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is one of the line items being held hostage in the federal budget/shutdown wars?
If BLS funding is stripped or is not increased, then the kind of data collection we need for reform flies out the window come Jan 1, 2025.]
Sources:
This new data comes thanks to a committed coalition of orgs, including mine:
@EqualRightsAdvocates @EqualPayToday
National Partnership for Women & Families, AAPD, Disability Culture Lab, CLASP, NDI, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, CAP Disability Justice Initiative, Women Enabled International, Center for Racial and Disability Justice, and the National Women’s Law Center.
The data crunching is from The National Partnership for Women & Families (NAPWF):
New analysis by the National Partnership for Women & Families finds that disabled women workers overall are only paid 50 cents for every dollar a nondisabled man makes, due to a long legacy of ableism and discrimination.
Thanks for boosting, Fediverse!
Diligence Jones
Karen Strickholm