A Wage Justice Agenda For Black Women: 2026 Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
Black women working full-time, year-round make just 65 cents for every dollar paid to their white male counterparts. This report tracks the state of wage justice for Black women and the policy solutions to close the gap.
The Black Women’s Wage Gap in 2026
Black women earn 65 cents for every dollar paid to white non-Hispanic men, a gap that costs them more than $1 million in lost income over a lifetime. In 2025, Black women, especially college-educated Black women, saw the largest decline in employment and labor force participation in the country.
69 percent of Black mothers are breadwinners for their families. Yet Black women have built approximately 90 percent less wealth than white non-Hispanic men.
These wage injustices are solvable. They are driven by:
- Systemic discrimination barring equal access and opportunity
- Job segregation into low-wage, undervalued industries
- Pay inequity, secrecy, and reliance on salary history
- Lack of paid leave and caregiver protections
- Poverty-level minimum wages, subminimum wages, and wage theft
- Harassment and discrimination
- Attacks on civil rights enforcement infrastructure
Equal Pay Today’s Progress on Pay Equity Legislation
For more than 13 years, Equal Pay Today has supported successful pay equity legislation in 44 states. Recent wins include Virginia banning salary history in pay decisions and passing paid family and medical leave, and Illinois passing the Civil Rights Safeguard Act to preserve disparate impact protections.
State progress continues to build momentum for national change.
Join the Movement for Wage Justice
The policies exist. The momentum is real. Read the full report to see the data, the barriers, and the agenda for change.