Report on Racial and Gender Wage Disparities in the United States

An Analysis in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

The observance of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on July 10 highlights a significant challenge to the achievement of key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the United States. The date symbolizes the nearly seven additional months a Black woman must work to earn the equivalent of what a white man earned in the preceding year. This persistent economic disparity directly contravenes the principles of SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Systemic Barriers to Achieving SDG 8: Decent Work and Equal Pay

Analysis from advocacy group MomsRising indicates that the wage gap is not a result of individual choices but of deeply embedded systemic issues that prevent equal pay for work of equal value, a core target of SDG 8.

Historical Factors and Structural Inequality

According to Diarra Diouf, Campaign Director for MomsRising, the economic undervaluing of Black women is a legacy of historical injustices that continue to impact labor markets. Key factors include:

• A historical mindset, originating from slavery, that undervalues the labor of Black women.
• The intentional post-slavery funneling of Black women into low-wage domestic and agricultural jobs.
• The deliberate exclusion of these sectors from foundational labor protections such as Social Security, minimum wage, and collective bargaining rights.
• A resulting lack of structural accountability for corporations and systems that perpetuate inequitable pay scales.

The Paradox of Education and Opportunity

Despite advancements in education, the wage gap persists, pointing to systemic failures in ensuring equal opportunity as outlined in SDG 10. Monifa Bandele, Senior Vice President of MomsRising, notes several critical points:

• Data indicates that Black women often achieve higher rates of graduate and postgraduate degrees compared to other demographics.
• Notwithstanding higher qualifications, Black women consistently earn less than their white male counterparts across numerous industries, including law, academia, and healthcare.
• This disparity is attributed to a combination of racism, sexism, and a lack of structural accountability in how wages are determined, directly impeding progress toward SDG 8’s goal of decent work for all.

Policy Recommendations for Advancing SDG 5 and SDG 10

MomsRising advocates for specific policy interventions to dismantle the structures that perpetuate the wage gap. These measures are essential for making substantive progress on gender equality and reducing inequalities.

1. Mandating Pay Transparency

A primary obstacle to closing the wage gap is a lack of transparency that prevents employees from identifying pay disparities.

• Challenge: Many women are unaware they are being underpaid due to corporate and industry-wide opacity regarding salary structures.
• Proposed Solution: Enacting laws that protect an employee’s right to inquire about and disclose compensation. This policy aligns with SDG 10.3, which calls for ensuring equal opportunity and reducing inequalities of outcome by promoting appropriate legislation.

2. Implementing National Paid Family and Medical Leave

The absence of a national paid leave policy disproportionately penalizes women, who often assume caregiving responsibilities.

• Challenge: Women are more likely to take unpaid leave to care for new children or sick family members, resulting in lost income and career setbacks that widen the gender pay gap.
• Proposed Solution: Passing federal legislation for paid family and medical leave would provide economic stability for caregivers. This policy is a critical mechanism for advancing SDG 5 by supporting women’s full economic participation and helping to close the gender wage gap.

Conclusion: The Role of Civic Engagement in Driving SDG Progress

Despite legislative challenges, there is a recognized increase in grassroots activism aimed at achieving economic justice. Monifa Bandele emphasizes that collective action is a powerful tool for holding institutions accountable and advancing the SDG agenda. By sharing personal stories and engaging with advocacy organizations, individuals can leverage collective power to influence lawmakers and push for the systemic changes required to achieve true gender and racial economic equality.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on Black Women’s Equal Pay Day highlights systemic issues of racial and gender discrimination in the workplace, which directly connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals focus on achieving equality, promoting fair work, and reducing systemic disparities.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  This goal is central to the article, which focuses on the “gender pay gap” and the economic undervaluation of women, particularly Black women. The article discusses how “women tend to be the caretakers” and how the lack of paid leave disproportionately affects them, reinforcing gender-based economic disparities.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article’s core theme is the fight for equal pay for work of equal value, a key component of decent work. It explicitly mentions the need to address how the “economy was built on undervaluing Black women’s labor” and the exclusion of Black women from “minimum wage protections” and “collective bargaining rights,” all of which are fundamental to the principles of SDG 8.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  This goal is directly addressed through the article’s focus on the intersection of racial and gender inequality. The text highlights the “persistent racial and gender wage gaps” and describes how “systemic funneling of Black women into lower-paying jobs” perpetuates economic inequality. The discussion is framed around reducing disparities between different demographic groups (Black women vs. white men).

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article calls for institutional and legal reforms to address the wage gap. The advocacy for “pay transparency” laws and “paid family medical leave” represents a push for more effective, accountable, and transparent institutions that can enforce equality and justice. The mention of fighting for “structural accountability” aligns with the goal of building strong institutions to eliminate discriminatory practices.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The article’s discussion of the wage gap and proposed solutions allows for the identification of several specific SDG targets.

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article’s entire premise—addressing the wage gap rooted in “racism, sexism, bias”—is about ending economic discrimination against Black women.
   • Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work. The call for “paid family medical leave” is a direct response to the fact that “women tend to be the caretakers,” and their unpaid labor often leads to lost income. This policy would help value and mitigate the economic impact of caregiving.

2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. This is the most explicit target. The article states, “Black women consistently earn less than their white counterparts” despite “equal or higher qualifications,” directly referencing the principle of equal pay for work of equal value.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. The historical context provided, where Black women were “intentionally excluded from Social Security, minimum wage protections, [and] collective bargaining rights,” points to the ongoing need to protect the labor rights of all workers, especially those in vulnerable positions.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… sex, race, ethnicity… The article advocates for the economic empowerment and inclusion of Black women, who have been systemically excluded and undervalued.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory… policies and practices. The fight for “pay transparency” is a direct attempt to reduce inequalities of outcome by exposing and challenging discriminatory pay practices.
   • Target 10.4: Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality. The proposed solutions, such as passing laws on “pay transparency” and “paid family medical leave,” are wage and social protection policies designed to achieve greater economic equality.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to track progress on these issues.

• Wage Gap Ratio (Indicator for Target 8.5)

  The article is centered on this indicator. It is symbolically represented by Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on July 10, which “reflects how far into the current year Black women must work to earn what white men earned by the end of the previous year.” This directly translates to the gender pay gap, which can be measured as the ratio of female to male earnings, disaggregated by race and industry. The article gives a specific example: “For someone who does a particular job and earns $5, it would then take until July 10th of the following year for Black women in that industry to earn that same $5.”

• Legislation on Pay Transparency (Indicator for Target 10.3)

  Progress can be measured by the number of states or jurisdictions that have “passed laws on pay transparency.” The article notes, “We have some states that have passed laws on pay transparency… But there are still many places where that is not the case.” Tracking the adoption of these laws serves as a clear indicator of institutional change aimed at reducing wage discrimination.

• Legislation on Paid Family and Medical Leave (Indicator for Target 5.4 and 10.4)

  The article identifies the lack of paid leave as a key driver of the wage gap for women. An indicator of progress would be the passage of federal or state-level “paid family medical leave” policies. The existence and scope of such legislation can be tracked to measure progress in implementing social protection policies that support gender equality.

• Ratio of Income to Educational Attainment by Race and Gender (Indicator for Target 10.3)

  The article implies this indicator by challenging a common assumption about wage gaps. It states, “Data shows that Black women are actually more likely to have higher education… but the pay is still persistently lower.” An indicator to measure this inequality of outcome would be a comparison of income levels for individuals with similar or identical educational qualifications, disaggregated by both race and gender. A narrowing of this gap would signify progress.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

Source: seattlemedium.com