A mother’s work is never done. It’s often said but probably not felt so acutely as today: mothers’ equal pay day.
We’re 227 days into 2023, and women who hold full-time jobs in addition to caring for children will finally earn what the average white, non-Hispanic father earned last year. Equal pay day for all women was March 14.
A new analysis by the National Women’s Law Center finds full-time working mothers make 74 cents for every dollar a working father earns. That works out to about a $1,500 gap monthly, or $18,000 annually.
What mothers in each state make for every dollar fathers make
The 25-cent gap between mothers in Vermont and Louisiana is eye opening, but it’s nearly comparable to gap most women of color experience.
Asian and Pacific Islander mothers passed their equal-pay threshold several weeks ago, while other mothers of color, on average, are still many weeks away from reaching their 2022 equal pay day. Latina, Black and Native American mothers who worked full time earned about half as much as the white, non-Hispanic fathers.
The mothers’ wage gap based on and race/ethnicity
Mothers’ pay lower at same educational levels
Even when you control for education, mothers with comparable educational achievements don’t narrow the gap significantly unless they earn a doctorate degree. Even then, the average mother with a doctorate earns 80 cents for every dollar, or $100,000 a year vs. $125,000.
How mothers and fathers compare in the same professions
When talking about this financial gender gap, it’s fair to note that women are overrepresented in low-paying jobs. But even in the five most common professions held by mothers, they are out-earned by their male counterparts.
