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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 7, 2025
Media Contact: Chandler Rollins, rollins@iwpr.org
The report arrives as lawmakers pursue efforts to weaken or eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. These policies have been instrumental in addressing disparities in pay, hiring, and promotion.
Washington, DC—A new analysis from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows that a Black woman working full-time year-round stands to lose more than $1 million over a 40-year career compared to White men. These lost wages could have supported a down payment on a home, retirement savings, or securing a child’s education, but instead weaken household stability and limit long-term wealth for Black families.
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, observed on July 10 in 2025, marks how far into the current year a Black woman must work to match what a White man earned the previous year. IWPR’s report confirms that the wage gap remains both wide and persistent. At the current rate, it could take over 200 years—until at least 2227— to close this gap.
This inequity holds true even when Black women are working full-time and holding degrees. Despite increases in educational attainment and workforce participation, Black women earn only 64.4 cents for every dollar paid to White men—just $50,470 annually at the median, compared to $75,950 for White men. The gap persists across states, education levels, and occupations—even in leadership and professional roles.
“This evidence further validates what researchers and Black women have long known,” said Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of IWPR. “The wage gap isn’t new, and it’s not confined by geography, education, or occupation. For Black women, there is no amount of time we can wait, no place we can go, no degree we can earn, and no rung on the career ladder that we can climb to help us reach pay equity.”
A highlight of IWPR’s key findings includes:
- Black women working full-time year-round earn just 64.4 cents for every dollar earned by White men.
- The median annual earnings for a Black woman working full-time year-round is $44,149, compared to $70,000 for White men—a gap of $25,851 per year.
- In Washington, DC, Black women earn $66,000 annually, while White men earn $125,000, resulting in a $59,000 pay gap—the largest in the country.
- Black women with a bachelor’s degree earn 62.7 percent of what White men with the same degree earn.
- Even at the highest levels of education, the gap persists: Black women with professional degrees earn 59.0 percent of what their White male counterparts make.
IWPR calls on policymakers to act with urgency. Recommended policy actions include:
- Mandating salary transparency and banning the use of salary history in hiring decisions.
- Raising the federal minimum wage and increasing investment in low-wage, care-based sectors.
- Expanding access to paid family and medical leave.
- Increasing funding for affordable child and elder care.
- Strengthening enforcement of antidiscrimination laws related to pay, hiring, and promotion.
“In this political climate where inequality is often misrepresented or simplified as individual performance-based, this research provides necessary context,” said Taylor. “Our findings demonstrate that the wage gap Black women experience is not the result of personal choices, but rather systemic racism and sexism embedded in US labor market structures and workplaces. My hope is to make these barriers more visible through our data so policymakers can respond with informed solutions.”
You can read the full report and state-level wage data here
ABOUT IWPR: The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is the nation’s leading think tank working to win economic equity for all women. Through evidence-based research, policy solutions, and advocacy, IWPR is advancing the power and well-being of women across the US. Learn more at IWPR.org and follow us on Twitter/X and Instagram.