“To address the extensive disparities for Native women we have to make sure we are not invisible. It is why I am in Congress and it is why I work tirelessly to ensure Tribes have a seat at the table, no matter what issues come before Congress,” writes Congresswoman Deb Haaland for CNBC. (Rep. Deb Haaland)
“September 23 is Native American Women’s Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into 2019 Native American women in the U.S. had to work to catch up with what white men typically were paid in 2018 alone. On average, Native American women are paid 42 percent less than white men. This pay gap doesn’t just impact Native American women — it also hurts their families. Especially since two-thirds of Native American mothers are the main breadwinners for their households. If paid fairly, a Native American woman would earn almost $1 million more over the course of her career,” states LeanIn.org.
Congresswomen Deb Haaland, D-New Mexico, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna, put things into perspective like this:
“If I told you that Native women have to work 22 months to make what their white male counterparts make in 12 months, would you be surprised?” she wrote in an op-ed published by CNBC.
Among women of color, Native women nearly earn the least — surpassed by Latin women, who’s Equal Pay Day comes November 20 of this year.
Rep. Haaland states:
“I ran for Congress, in part, because I want to shed light on the issues facing Native American communities that have been ignored for far too long.
“The fact that Native women only make 58 cents on the dollar compared to white men in similar positions is absolutely unacceptable. It is a statistic that impacts so many other issues including access to health care, education, job training and child care.”
Find her full op-ed here.
