September 8th is Mom’s Equal Pay Day, a day to raise awareness about the wage gap faced by mothers and the disproportionate impact this disparity has on moms of color. Overall, mothers in the U.S. are paid 58 cents for every one dollar paid to fathers, and that gap is widest for women of color, who are more likely to be key breadwinners in their families.
One primary driver of the wage gap for women is pregnancy discrimination. Due to gaps in current federal law, countless women don’t have a right to the reasonable accommodations they need to stay safe and healthy in the workplace and are forced to choose between maintaining a healthy pregnancy and keeping their job. For many women, being pushed off the job at such a critical point in growing their families has devastating economic consequences that can impact their ability to re-enter the workforce and have a lasting effect on their earnings throughout their career.
There is one key policy solution to address persistent pregnancy discrimination, which has the votes to pass the Senate right now and would form a critical building block in pay equity for moms and moms-to-be: the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. We have been leading the call for this vital piece of legislation, which would guarantee pregnant and postpartum workers nationwide, particularly women of color and those working in low-wage, physically demanding jobs, access to the accommodations they need to maintain healthy pregnancies without risking being pushed off the job and out of the workforce.
This week, we ran a full-page ad in Newsday along with our partners calling on Senate Majority Leader Schumer to bring the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to a vote, and we are continuing to build momentum to pass this lifeline legislation and put a stop to the injustices faced by countless moms every day and advance racial, gender, and economic equity. Join us by taking action and demanding a vote on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act NOW.
