RALEIGH: Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Cheri Beasley released the following statement on Equal Pay Day:
“Women deserve equal pay for equal work, and it is past time that it becomes a reality in every industry and for every worker. Closing the gender pay gap is good for workers and for families – and it’s good for our economy as a whole. In the Senate, I’ll fight for pay equity and for an economy that works for all North Carolinians,” said Cheri Beasley.
In North Carolina, women made 81.1 percent of what men made in 2020 median earnings. March 15, 2022 represents how long into the year women would have to work to earn the same amount men did last year. For every dollar white men earn, women on average earn $0.82. And women of color are disproportionately impacted by the wage gap: African American women earn $0.58, Latina women earn $0.49, Asian American and Pacific Islander women earn $0.75, and Native American women earn $0.50.
Nonpartisan experts have found that pay equity could strengthen North Carolina’s economy. In 2021, if men and women earned the same amount, the poverty rate for women in North Carolina would decrease 38.2 percent. Additionally, if women were paid the same amount as men, the average North Carolina women would see a wage increase of 16.4 percent. Combining the earnings increase of North Carolina women would add more than $15 billion to the state’s economy, equaling 2.6 percent of North Carolina’s GDP.
Last weekend, Beasley hosted a Women’s History Month Event with Women For Beasley to discuss the issues impacting women in North Carolina – from equal pay, accessible child care, affordable health care, paid family leave, and more.
Original source can be found here.
