Today is Equal Pay Day for women and it’s not a day to celebrate

We’re three months into 2020 — yet this is how long American women must work into the year to earn the same salary as men did in 2019.

Every year, the National Committee on Pay Equity sets a date for “Equal Pay Day” to highlight the overall pay disparity between men and women who work full-time in the United States. This year, Equal Pay Day is March 31.

Overall, women earn 81.6 cents for every dollar that men make, according to the most recent US Census data.

By race, the numbers tell a different story. Compared to other women of color, Asian American and Pacific Islander women are on the higher end of the wage gap earning on average 92 cents for every dollar earned by men. If you break it down into specific Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, the wage gap grows.

Native American women have to work into the fall to hit the same salary as men do, and Latina women are on the job until early November.

Here’s a list of what women by other racial groups make compared to white men, and their Equal Pay Day for 2020:

• Asian American and Pacific Islander women: February 11, $0.92
• Black women: August 13, $0.62
• Native American women: October 1, $0.57
• Latina women: November 2, $0.54

The good news is that the overall gender wage gap is closing.

Women made 82% of what men made in 2018, compared with 60.5% in 1969, according to the American Association of University Women.

The closing of the gender wage gap could be due to a number of factors, such as women obtaining higher levels of education and going into fields that were normally dominated by men. In addition, women have been advocating more for their rights and bringing more awareness to the issue.

“Some of the #MeToo movement definitely would have to do with equal pay and making sure that women get their due in the workplace,” Elise Gould, senior economist at Economic Policy Institute told CNN. “It’s not just equal pay. It’s also promotions and opportunities.”

While the gender wage gap is definitely closing in, Shannon Williams of the Equal Pay Today campaign believes there’s still a lot to be done, especially on the legislative front, such as passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Because “when women do well, everybody does well,” Williams said.

“If women could be making what they should be making, what their male counterparts are making, the economy would be doing much better,” Williams said. “If we’re really serious about making sure that women, particularly women of color are earning the money that they deserve, then we need to make sure that we’re making our voices heard this (election) year.”