“A skyrocketing cost of living. A Trump trade war that will drive costs even higher. Zero guaranteed paid family and medical leave or paid sick days. Soaring child care and health care costs. Cruel, harmful Republican efforts to cut nutrition, health care, early learning, and education funding. And punishing, persistent wage discrimination that causes unfair pay. Moms’ Equal Pay Day tomorrow, Tuesday, is a painful reminder that moms must navigate the crises of this moment without fair paychecks. The wage gap for moms – just 74 cents for every dollar paid to White dads – harms families, communities and our economy every day, and it must end. 

“It’s disgraceful that the wage gap is even worse for moms of color: on average, Black moms are paid just 56 cents, Latina moms just 51 cents, and Native moms just 50 cents for every dollar paid to White dads. Overall, moms working full-time, year-round are paid a mere 74 cents on a White dad’s dollar. When part-time and seasonal workers are included – roles many moms must take on because of unpaid caregiving responsibilities – the wage gap for moms overall widens to just 62 cents on the dollar. These figures tell a sobering story of moms struggling with discrimination at work, structural racism and sexism, and an economy that punishes caregiving. It’s past time moms are paid what we deserve. 

“Working families are counting on lawmakers to stand up for fair pay, close the gaping loopholes in our anti-discrimination laws, and to invest in the care policies our families and economy urgently need. Moms won’t settle for less than the full dollar. We will continue to fight until the wage gap is closed.”

– Statement of Taylor Austin, Campaign Director, Workplace Justice, MomsRising

“The hard work moms do every day – paid and unpaid – powers our communities and our economy. Families depend on moms’ wages, which enable us to put food on the table, care for our kids, and contribute to our communities. Our country can’t succeed unless working moms get the respect, dignity, and fair pay we all deserve. Yet year after year, the punitive wage gap persists for moms across occupations and education levels, and is even worse for moms of color due to structural racism. That’s outrageous, particularly because solutions are possible. Studies show that a combination of policies including childcare, paid family and medical leave, and health care, along with policies like the Paycheck Fairness Act, would help close the wage gap. Bold action to close this shameful wage gap is long overdue. 

“But right now, President Trump is taking a sledgehammer to the very same policies proven to help close the wage gaps, as well as to the federal agencies and offices tasked with fighting workplace discrimination. Moms are appalled by the massive layoffs and firings the Trump administration is carrying out at federal agencies that support and protect caregivers and parents at work, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). We need Congress to use every tool at its disposal to defend these critical institutions. Congress must also pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would at long last protect workers from retaliation for speaking up about unfair pay, ban the use of prior salary history in hiring, and strengthen our data collection on wage inequities. 

“Make no mistake: Trump’s agenda is anti-mom and anti-family, and his actions will make our nation’s appalling wage gap even worse, hurting our economy and families alike. But moms across the country are rising up to fight for fair pay, the care investments we all need, and an economy that works for working families, not just the wealthy few. Closing the wage gap will make our communities, our economy, and our country stronger. The time to act is now.” 

– Statement of Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, Executive Director and CEO, MomsRising