By Ana Martinez-Ortiz
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) has a simple yet impactful motto: Justice for Her. Justice for All. In its most recent analysis, the NWLC found that working moms earn significantly less compared to working dads. It’s a fact that the NWLC hopes to bring awareness to.
NWLC recently released a report titled “Equal Pay for Mothers Is Critical for Families” in anticipation of Mother’s Equal Pay Day, which happens on June 10.
The analysis found that 25 million mothers with children under 18 make up the workforce. In other words, one in six workers is a working mom and three in four working mothers work full time.
Over time, mothers have become the sole or primary breadwinners for their families. In 2017, research found that 41 percent of working mothers were the sole breadwinner for their family and that 23.2 percent were co-breadwinners.
NWLC found that the pay gap, which already exists between men and women, is even larger between mothers and fathers.
Currently, women in the U.S. make 80 cents for every dollar their male counterparts make. NWLC found that full-time working moms make 69 cents for every dollar a full-time working dad makes.
This equates to an $18,000 loss a year. Furthermore, NWLC found that the gap increases depending on factors such as race, state and occupation.
The NWLC reported that for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic father got paid in 2017: Asian American and Pacific Islander mothers were paid 92 cents; white, non-Hispanic mothers were paid 72 cents; Black mothers were paid 54 cents; Native mothers were paid 48 cents; and Latina mothers were paid 46 cents.
In May 2019, Wisconsin was ranked seventh overall for the Motherhood Wage Gap compared to the rest of the nation and the District of Columbia. According to NWLC, the median annual earnings of mothers in Wisconsin was $41,367 whereas the median annual earnings of fathers was $55,000 making for a $13,633 difference.
Working Wisconsin mothers make 75 cents for every dollar a working father makes.
Louisiana was ranked 51st with mothers making 59 cents for every fathers’ dollar and Vermont was ranked first at 80 cents per dollar.
A lot of factors contribute to one’s pay, but the NWLC argues that race and gender shouldn’t be included.