This week we observed Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, marking the day black women finally achieved the same pay for their work that non-Latin white males made in 12 months last year. That means it takes 578 days for a black woman to make the same amount of money a white man earns in 365 days. This is nonsensical. There is no justification for such blatant racism and sexism. How can we claim we have achieved equality in this country with this mass injustice staring us right in the face? This gap in pay means less money to pay rent, buy food, invest in education, and save for retirement. We know that these wage gaps exist, so what are we doing to fix them? Why are issues that affect women, particularly women of color, consistently acknowledged and then set to the side? Worse, why is the government expected to make up the difference with subsidies from our collective tax payments? By continuing to placidly observe these days of inequality, we are allowing this problem to compound. We have set these women up for failure and then stigmatized them for relying on support from social programs, programs that would not be necessary if women were paid their fair share.
The proposed NYS Salary Range Transparency Law will help curb these inequalities. If passed, it would require all employers in New York State to disclose the salary and benefits of any position they are hiring for. As far as I’m concerned, this seems like an absolute no-brainer. I wouldn’t purchase something blindly without knowing the price first. How on earth does a company expect me to fine-tune my resume, write a cover letter, and go through the stress of an interview, all without knowing how much money they will pay me?
Somewhere down the line, I learned it was impolite to ask how much a position pays. How dare I be so bold as to ask how my time will be compensated? If I intend to devote my time to a place, I should be well within my right to ask for what I am worth. But why does it still make me so uncomfortable? Why do I feel inappropriate asking for how much a company will pay me when the purpose of me taking the job is to earn money? Men often have no trouble negotiating their salaries. They are taught to take risks and make waves and are often rewarded for this behavior. Women, on the other hand, are taught to be agreeable. If a woman is outspoken, she is called aggressive or confrontational. Does this mean we are worth less than men, deserve less than men?
At the end of the day, when companies do not have to disclose salaries for open positions, the companies win. They are taking money out of our pockets, and there is nothing to stop them. If companies were required to disclose salary ranges for open positions, women would be better prepared to request the compensation they deserve, ensuring more equitable wages.
The Salary Range Transparency law makes sense. It’s good for all workers and people searching for jobs. While this certainly won’t close the egregious wage gap affecting black women, it is a good place to start. We’ve got to do better. Black women should not have to work 213 days more than white men to earn the same wage. Instead of talking about how terrible the wage gap is, let’s fix it. Let’s start by calling on New York to pass the Salary Range Transparency law. We must have equal pay for equal work.
