[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 126 (Wednesday, July 26, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING BLACK WOMEN'S EQUAL PAY DAY

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                           HON. JOYCE BEATTY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 2017

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, Monday, July 31, 2017 marks Black Women's 
Equal Pay Day, which observes the amount of time it takes the average 
Black woman to earn the same pay that the average White man earns in 
one calendar year. In other words, Black women have to work all of 2016 
and up to July 31, 2017 to earn what their white male counterparts made 
in 2016. This is shameful, and it is time for Congress to act to 
eradicate pay inequities once and for all.
  Black women earn 60 percent of what their white male counterparts do, 
which is why it takes approximately eight additional months for them to 
reach pay parity with white men. The unfortunate reality of this wage 
gap is that this reality sets up Black women to fail. The 40 cents they 
fail to earn accumulates and limits them from fully participating in 
the U.S. economy. This money could be used to help pay down student 
loan debt, buy their first home, or purchase a car. It could help them 
pay for quality child care, start a business, or help care for elderly 
family members.
  But earning 40 percent less does not just affect Black women's 
current economic situation, it also affects their ability to plan for 
their future. Being underpaid for equal work contributes to a wealth 
gap, retirement gap, and inheritance gap, which hinders upward mobility 
for future generations. According to the Pew Research Center, 54 
percent of Black children live with a single parent, and Black families 
have 13 times less wealth than white families. A lack of wealth and 
savings means Black families have less to pass down to their children.
  If Congress fails to act to ensure wage equality, then all women will 
lag behind in pay equity until 2059. This is unacceptable. Years of 
progress has resulted in Black women working across all fields and 
reaching high levels of academic achievement and it is time for these 
advancements to result in equal pay for equal work. I call on 
Republican Leadership to bring to the House floor, the Paycheck 
Fairness Act, H.R. 1869, and the Raise the Wage Act, H.R. 15. As a 
proud cosponsor of both of these two pieces of legislation, I urge 
immediate consideration of these bills so that pay equity can be 
achieved once and for all.

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