[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 118 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 118
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to men and to Black women.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 9, 2024
Ms. Adams (for herself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Lois Frankel of
Florida, Ms. Manning, Mr. Carson, Ms. Stevens, Mrs. Foushee, Ms.
Williams of Georgia, Mr. Smith of Washington, Ms. Bonamici, Ms.
Velazquez, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Norton, Ms. Omar, Mr. Gottheimer, Ms. Wild,
Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Garamendi, Mrs. Cherfilus-
McCormick, and Mr. Espaillat) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to men and to Black women.
Whereas July 9, 2024, is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, which marks the day that
symbolizes how long into 2024 Black women must work to make what White,
non-Hispanic men were paid in 2023;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d))
prohibits discrimination in compensation for equal work on the basis of
sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e et seq.)
prohibits discrimination in compensation because of race, color,
religion, national origin, or sex;
Whereas, despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (29 U.S.C. 206 note) 6
decades ago, which requires that men and women in the same workplace be
given equal pay for equal work, Census Bureau data show that Black women
working full time, year-round, are paid 69 cents for every dollar paid
to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas when part-time and part-year workers are included in the comparison,
Black women are paid 66 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-
Hispanic men;
Whereas if the current trends continue, on average, Black women will have to
wait over 100 years to achieve equal pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Black woman in the United States working
full time, year-round, is $49,480, which means that, if the current wage
gap were to continue, the average Black woman would lose nearly $884,800
in potential earnings to the wage gap over the course of a 40-year
career;
Whereas lost wages mean Black women have less money to support themselves and
their families, save and invest for the future, and spend on goods and
services, causing businesses and the economy to suffer as a result;
Whereas Black women's median earnings are less than men's at every level of
academic achievement;
Whereas Black women with bachelor's and master's degrees experience a higher
wage gap in comparison to White, non-Hispanic men than Black women with
a high school diploma;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 68 percent of Black mothers are the
sole or primary breadwinners for their families, compared to just more
than one-third percent of non-Hispanic White mothers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality childcare, paid family and
medical leave, paid sick leave, and other family friendly workplace
policies contributes to the wage gap by forcing many Black women to
choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality care for
themselves or their family members;
Whereas if the wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Black woman working full
time would have enough money for over 2 additional years of tuition and
fees for a 4-year public university, the full cost of tuition and fees
for a public 2-year community college, more than 41 additional months of
premiums for employer-based family health insurance coverage with
employer contributions, over 50 weeks of food for a family of 4, more
than 12 additional months of home ownership costs, including mortgage
payments, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and fuel costs, 17
more months of rental costs, including rent payments, utilities, and
fuel, or enough money to pay off an average borrower's Federal student
loan debt in under 2 years;
Whereas 38 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the workplace and
over 78 percent of sexual harassment charges filed with the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission are filed by women, yet research has
found that only a small number of women who experience harassment
formally report incidents for reasons including fear of retaliation;
Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave their occupation or
industry;
Whereas targets of harassment were 6.5 times as likely as nontargets to change
jobs or pass up opportunities for advancement, contributing to the
gender wage gap;
Whereas Black women were the most likely of all racial and ethnic groups to have
filed a sexual harassment charge;
Whereas nearly two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less are women,
and there is an overrepresentation of women of color in low-wage and
tipped occupations;
Whereas 60 percent of private sector workers reported that they were either
discouraged or prohibited by their employers from discussing wage and
salary information, which can hide pay discrimination and prevent
remedies;
Whereas the pay disparity Black women face is part of a wider set of disparities
Black women face in home ownership, unemployment, poverty, access to
childcare, and the ability to accumulate wealth;
Whereas the gender wage gap for Black women has only narrowed by 5 cents in the
last 2 decades;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that addresses the
gendered and racial injustices that Black women face daily;
Whereas the pandemic has disproportionately economically impacted Black women;
and
Whereas many national organizations have designated July 9, 2024, as Black
Women's Equal Pay Day to represent the additional time that women must
work to compensate for the lower wages paid to Black women last year:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women
and its impact on women, families, and the United States; and
(2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay for equal
work and narrowing the gender wage gap.
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