[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 37 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 37

 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages 
                    paid to men and to Black women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 9, 2024

  Mr. Warnock (for himself, Ms. Butler, and Mr. Booker) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages 
                    paid to men and to Black women.

Whereas, July 9, 2024, is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, which marks the day that 
        symbolizes how long into 2024 Black women must work to make what White, 
        non-Hispanic men were paid in 2023;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)) 
        prohibits discrimination in compensation for equal work on the basis of 
        sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) 
        prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color, 
        religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas, despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note) 6 
        decades ago, which requires that men and women in the same workplace be 
        given equal pay for equal work, Census Bureau data show that Black women 
        working full time, year round, are paid 69 cents for every dollar that 
        is paid to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, when part-time and part-year workers are included in the comparison, 
        Black women are paid 66 cents for every dollar that is paid to White, 
        non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, if the current trends continue, on average, Black women will have to 
        wait over 100 years to achieve equal pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Black woman in the United States working 
        full time, year round, is $49,480, which means that, if the current wage 
        gap were to continue, the average Black woman would lose nearly $884,800 
        in potential earnings to the wage gap over the course of a 40-year 
        career;
Whereas lost wages mean Black women have less money to support themselves and 
        their families, save and invest for the future, and spend on goods and 
        services, causing businesses and the economy to suffer;
Whereas Black women's median earnings are less than men's median earnings at 
        every level of academic achievement;
Whereas Black women with bachelor's and master's degrees experience a higher 
        wage gap in comparison with White, non-Hispanic men than in comparison 
        with Black women with a high school diploma;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 68 percent of Black mothers are the 
        sole or primary breadwinners for their families, compared to just more 
        than one-third of non-Hispanic White mothers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality childcare, paid family and 
        medical leave, paid sick leave, and other family-friendly workplace 
        policies contributes to the wage gap by forcing many Black women to 
        choose between having a job and getting quality care for themselves or 
        their family members;
Whereas if the wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Black woman working full 
        time would have enough money for more than 2 additional years of tuition 
        and fees for a 4-year public university; the full cost of tuition and 
        fees for a public 2-year community college; more than 41 additional 
        months of premiums for employer-based family health insurance coverage 
        with employer contributions; more than 50 weeks of food for a family of 
        4; more than 12 additional months of home ownership costs, including 
        mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and fuel 
        costs; more than 17 additional months of rental costs, including rent 
        payments, utilities, and fuel; or the full cost of an average borrower's 
        Federal student loan debt in under 2 years;
Whereas 38 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the workplace and 
        over 78 percent of sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal 
        Employment Opportunity Commission are filed by women, yet research has 
        found that only a small number of women who experience harassment 
        formally report incidents for reasons including fear of retaliation;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave their occupation or 
        industry;
Whereas targets of harassment are 6.5 times as likely as individuals who are not 
        targets to change jobs or pass up opportunities for advancement, 
        contributing to the gender wage gap;
Whereas Black women were the most likely of all racial and ethnic groups to have 
        filed a sexual harassment charge;
Whereas nearly two-thirds of workers that are paid the minimum wage or less are 
        women and there is an overrepresentation of women of color in low-wage 
        and tipped occupations;
Whereas 60 percent of private sector workers reported that they were either 
        discouraged or prohibited by their employers from discussing wage and 
        salary information, which can hide pay discrimination and prevent 
        remedies;
Whereas the pay disparity Black women face is part of a wider set of disparities 
        that Black women face in home ownership, unemployment, poverty, access 
        to childcare, and the ability to accumulate wealth;
Whereas the gender wage gap for Black women has only narrowed by 5 cents in the 
        last 2 decades;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the 
        gender and racial injustices that Black women face daily;
Whereas the pandemic had a disproportionately negative economic impact on Black 
        women; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated July 9, 2024, as Black 
        Women's Equal Pay Day to represent the additional time that Black women 
        must work to compensate for the lower wages paid to Black women in 2023: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women 
        and its impact on women, families, and the United States; and
            (2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay for equal 
        work and narrowing the gender and racial wage gaps.
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