Women Employed has moved! Please note our new address:
1 E Wacker Drive, Suite 3110, Chicago, IL 60601.
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Pay equity is so much more than equal pay for equal work!
A Letter from Our CEO
We know that to improve the economic status of women and advance economic equity, to close the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender, and to end parity gaps that exist even between women of color and non-women of color, we must focus on Black and Latina/x women and women in low or unpaid work. Raising the floor must be a priority. At our current rate, and without systemic and structural intervention, it will take more than 100 years (until 2133) for Black women to reach pay parity with white men, and until 2220 for Latina/x women. This also holds true when we look at economic recovery coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the July jobs report, women will need nearly 5 straight months of July-type job gains to return to pre-pandemic employment levels. But that would just get us back to the status quo.
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One of the largest drivers of the pay gap for Black women is occupational segregation. Half of all Black women in the full-time workforce are in roles that traditionally pay low wages. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the percentage of Black women who are full-time minimum-wage workers is higher than that of any other racial group. Of the 943,000 jobs added in July, 68.8% went to women, marking the largest one-month increase in women’s job growth since August 2020. That sounds great, until you look deeper. More than 40% of the jobs added were in leisure and hospitality, and women accounted for the majority (53.9%) of those gains. Typically, these are low-quality jobs where people don’t have stable and consistent scheduling or benefits, and the wages are low. And while 140,000 workers rejoined the labor force in July, 65,000 Black women and 51,000 Latinas left the labor force and are no longer being counted in the unemployment numbers.
We must stay vigilant in valuing work traditionally done by women. We have to increase wages, provide all workers with access to paid sick days, paid leave, and quality and affordable childcare. We also have to increase access to and strengthen pathways for Black and Latina/x women to careers and industries that pay higher wages and where we are clearly underrepresented. We have to be honest about biases and discrimination in promotions. For every 100 men promoted to manager, only 58 Black women are promoted, despite the fact that Black women ask for promotions at the same rate as men. And for every 100 men hired into manager roles, only 64 Black women are hired. These solutions will change the abysmal pay equity trajectory for Black women and Latinas.
As we speak, Congress is developing a budget reconciliation package that will provide much-needed supports—including federal paid leave, increased wages for child care workers, investments in child care to increase accessibility and affordability, free community college and Pell Grant supports—that will help more women, especially Black and Latina/x women, to thrive. Stay tuned to our social media and to your email in the coming weeks for ways you can take action to advance these important priorities for working families.
I know the fight for gender and racial equity is arduous, but it is achievable. And, it doesn’t have to take us a century to achieve it. Women Employed will not stop fighting until we are there. And we know you’ll be there by our side. Thank you for joining us in this important work.
Stay safe and be well,
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Cherita Ellens
President and CEO
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Shining a Spotlight on Pay Equity for Black Women
The pay gap is very real, and its impacts are far-reaching. While on average, women make 82 cents to a man’s dollar, Black women—like many women of color—face greater disparities due to the dual impacts of gender and racial bias. Compared to white, non-Hispanic men, a Black woman makes just 63 cents on the dollar. That equates to $2,000 in lost wages each month, and approximately $24,000 each year—and the economic effects of COVID could worsen these disparities. Imagine what those lost wages could mean to Black women, their families, and communities?
As part of Women Employed’s new strategic plan, we are committed to closing the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender. And to do that, we need to both raise the profile of this important issue, and highlight the complex, interconnected factors that lead to such glaring pay inequity. August 3rd marked Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, and WE seized the opportunity to get the word out about the realities of the wage gap for Black women and what we can all do to make positive change. Keep reading to learn more!
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WE EVENT: Ensuring an Equitable Recovery for Black Women
On August 3rd, to mark Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, Women Employed hosted “Ensuring an Equitable Recovery for Black Women” with Women Employed’s President and CEO Cherita Ellens and White House Correspondent, Political Analyst, and Author April Ryan. This important and timely conversation focused on what it will take to dismantle systemic barriers, grow the economic power of Black women during the recovery and beyond, and close the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender.
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PARTNER EVENT: 145 Days: The Intersections of Economic Insecurity, Violence, & Race |
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On August 6th, Futures Without Violence hosted a panel discussion on the intersections of the existing wage gap & economic instability, black survivorhood, and wellness. Through this conversation, they explored ways in which workplaces can create healthier, more supportive workplaces for Black survivors―while addressing the varied, multi-faceted impacts that economic insecurity has on this population. Panelists included Shannon Williams, Director of Equal Pay Today; Cassandra Welchlin, Co-Convener and State Lead of Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable; Megan Simmons, Senior Policy Attorney at Ujima, Christina Green, Program Specialist at Women Employed; Felicia Davis, President and CEO of Chicago Foundation for Women; and Naimah Efia, Clinical Director of BWB.
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WE Event: Closing the Gap: an Equity Agenda for Black College Students in Illinois
On July 21st, Cherita Ellens, Women Employed's President and CEO joined in conversation with Chicago State University President, Zaldwaynaka (Z) Scott, Esq. to learn about the recently released “Equity Working Group for Black Student Access and Success in Illinois Higher Education” Action Plan. They talked about the group of multi-sector stakeholders, including Women Employed, who came together to knock down barriers and address policies deeply rooted in racism. The Equity Working Group (EWG) has identified critical actions needed to close equity gaps and enable Black students, families, and communities to thrive and survive in Illinois. Looking ahead, the work of the EWG will continue through Chicago State University’s newly launched Center for Education Equity housed within its Illinois Innovation Network hub, the Institute for Solutions of Urban Populations.
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IN THE NEWS: Black women are still fighting for equal pay
WE’s President and CEO Cherita Ellens recently spoke with Kayla Grant from Prism Reports about the discrimination Black women still face in the workplace, the complex and inter-connected factors that lead to wider wage gaps for Black women, and what lawmakers, employers, and individuals must do to begin to close those gaps.
“I just want to make sure that when we have these conversations, we [Black women] don’t feel yet again that we have to be the one to save everything and to fix everything, and that the onus is put back on the systems and the structures that continue to perpetuate the gap.” Ellens said.
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WE Wellness Break Sept. 1 - 7
As we move into recovery from this 18-month long (and counting) pandemic, there is a clear theme within WE and at many workplaces across the country―Burnout! As employers we can no longer expect for life issues to remain separate from the workplace. We are an organization committed to ensuring equity for all, an organization of women, many of us women of color, caregivers, students and have had similar challenges that many women in the workforce faced during the pandemic and are still facing. To that end, Women Employed will close for a Fall Wellness Break in conjunction with Labor Day, to reset. Our offices will be closed Wednesday, September 1st – Tuesday, September 7th. We will reopen Wednesday, September 8th. When we return, we will continue to examine our practices to ensure we are creating and modeling a workplace culture in which everyone can thrive professionally and be their whole selves.
We value you as stakeholders, partners, and supporters, and we believe that transparency in our business practices is paramount to the trust you have in us to be good stewards of the relationships and investments you have with us. It’s the foundation of our strong relationship with you, and why we wanted to community this news with you.
During our wellness break, Cherita Ellens, our President and CEO, will be the primary point of contact for any urgent matters or if an immediate response is required. Please, email her at cellens@womenemployed.org.
As we work to take care of our own staff, we hope you are also able to take the steps you need to care for your own mental and physical health. We are all in this work together.
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Are You a Domestic Violence Survivor? WE Wants to Hear from You.
Women Employed wants to better understand how domestic violence supports and employment services can work together. If you are a survivor of domestic violence and live in Chicagoland, we'd love to hear about any employment-related services you've accessed, or that you've needed, to help inform our work.
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Work With Us!
Women Employed is hiring! Check out our current job openings:
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(Featuring WE's Director of Policy, Christina Warden!)
Newsbreak
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(Featuring WE's President and CEO, Cherita Ellens!)
PRISM
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Financial Health Network
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(Featuring WE's Director of Policy, Christina Warden!)
WBEZ
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Help sustain our work to advance equity for working women, and to close the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender, by joining Elevate, our monthly giving community. |
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