The New York Times In Her Words: In 25 Years, the Pay Gap Has Shrunk by Just 8 Cents

24 March 2021

“One cannot simply outperform inequality.”

— Megan Rapinoe, a professional U.S. Soccer player

Megan Rapinoe is a two-time World Cup champion who has played to sold-out stadiums around the globe; what she has in common with nearly every American woman is that she’s underpaid.

On Wednesday, Ms. Rapinoe testified during a hearing held by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney to examine economic harm caused by gender inequalities, particularly for women of color.

Today is All Women’s Equal Pay Day, Ms. Maloney said. But it’s not Equal Pay Day for all women.

Black women would have to work until Aug. 3, 2021, to earn what men made in 2020. For Latina women, the date doesn’t come until Oct. 2.

“This is a disgrace,” Ms. Maloney said. “And it has long-term consequences for women and families.”

Wage discrimination isn’t limited to any one sector or income level.

Take Ms. Rapinoe, whose fight for equal pay has become something of a calling card for the U.S. women’s team, and who played a central role in the team’s lawsuit on unequal pay filed in 2019.

“One cannot simply outperform inequality,” she said. “Or be excellent enough to escape discrimination.”

If it can happen to me, she said, “it can — and it does — happen to every person marginalized by gender.”

In Her Words looked at the history of Equal Pay Day, the reasons for the wage gap and what can be done to close it.

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