A concurrent resolution recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages paid to men and to Black women.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 16 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 16

 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages 
                    paid to men and to Black women.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 2025

  Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Warnock, Mr. 
Padilla, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Booker, Ms. Warren, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Van 
 Hollen, Mr. Markey, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Coons, Mr. Heinrich, Mrs. Murray, 
Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Fetterman, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Ossoff, Ms. Smith, Ms. 
   Klobuchar, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Welch, Mrs. 
  Gillibrand, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Schiff, Ms. 
 Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Lujan, and Ms. Rosen) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages 
                    paid to men and to Black women.

Whereas July 10, 2025, is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, a day of observance of 
        the wage gap between working Black women and working White, non-Hispanic 
        men;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)) 
        (commonly known as the ``Equal Pay Act of 1963'') prohibits 
        discrimination in compensation for equal work on the basis of sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) 
        prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color, 
        religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas, despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 6 decades ago, which 
        requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for 
        equal work, data from the Bureau of the Census show that Black women 
        working full time and year round are paid 66 cents for every dollar paid 
        to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, when part-time and part-year workers are included in the comparison, 
        Black women are paid 64 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-
        Hispanic men;
Whereas, if the current trends continue, on average, Black women will have to 
        wait over 200 years to achieve equal pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Black woman in the United States working 
        full time, year round, is $50,390, which means that, if the current wage 
        gap were to continue, the average Black woman would lose nearly 
        $1,019,200 in potential earnings because of the wage gap over the course 
        of a 40-year career;
Whereas lost wages mean Black women have less money to support themselves and 
        their families, to save and invest for the future, and to spend on goods 
        and services, causing businesses and the economy to suffer as a result;
Whereas the median earnings of Black women are less than the median earnings of 
        men at every level of academic achievement, and in leadership and 
        professional positions;
Whereas Black women with bachelor's and master's degrees experience a larger 
        wage gap in comparison to White, non-Hispanic men than Black women with 
        a high school diploma;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 69 percent of Black mothers are the 
        sole or primary breadwinners for their families, compared to slightly 
        more than one-third of one percent of non-Hispanic white mothers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality childcare, paid family and 
        medical leave, paid sick leave, and other family-friendly workplace 
        policies contributes to the wage gap by forcing many Black women to 
        choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality care for 
        themselves or their family members;
Whereas, if the wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Black woman working full 
        time would have enough money for over 2 additional years of tuition and 
        fees for a 4-year public university, the full cost of tuition and fees 
        for a public 2-year community college, more than 49 additional months of 
        premiums for employer-based family health insurance coverage with 
        employer contributions, over 58 weeks of food for a family of 4, more 
        than 13 additional months of home ownership costs, including mortgage 
        payments, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and fuel costs, 17 
        more months of rental costs, including rent payments, utilities, and 
        fuel, almost a full year of child care for 2 children, or enough money 
        to pay off an average borrower's Federal student loan debt in under 2 
        years;
Whereas Black women face dual and compounding discrimination based upon both 
        their race and gender;
Whereas at least 38 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the 
        workplace and over 78 percent of sexual harassment charges filed with 
        the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are filed by women, yet the 
        prevalence of sexual harassment is likely much higher, as research has 
        found that only a small number of women who experience harassment 
        formally report incidents for reasons including fear of retaliation;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave their occupation or 
        industry;
Whereas individuals who are targets of harassment are 6.5 times as likely as 
        individuals who are not targets of harassment to change jobs or pass up 
        opportunities for advancement, contributing to the gender wage gap;
Whereas Black women are the most likely of all racial and ethnic groups to have 
        filed a sexual harassment charge;
Whereas nearly two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less are women, 
        and there is an over-representation of women of color in low-wage and 
        tipped occupations;
Whereas 60 percent of private sector workers reported that they were either 
        discouraged or prohibited by their employers from discussing wage and 
        salary information, which can hide pay discrimination and prevent 
        remedies;
Whereas the pay disparity faced by Black women is part of a wider set of 
        disparities faced by Black women in home ownership, unemployment, 
        poverty, access to childcare, and the ability to accumulate wealth;
Whereas the gender wage gap for Black women has narrowed by only 5 cents in the 
        last 2 decades;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the 
        gendered and racial injustices that Black women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated July 10, 2025, as Black 
        Women's Equal Pay Day to recognize the persistent and detrimental wage 
        gap Black women face: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women 
        and its impact on women, families, and the United States; and
            (2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay for equal 
        work and narrowing the gender wage gap.
                                 <all>