What Millennials, Gen Z, And Gen Alpha Stand To Lose Without Each Other

Forbes
By Jasmine Browley

“The arc of the American dream was still a bit more possible than I think it is now for young people today,” she told me during a recent interview. And when I asked her where the momentum was for Black women in the workplace — the most educated demographic in the United States, yet consistently facing the steepest pay gaps and the least investment — she didn’t offer polished optimism.

 

The numbers bear that out. According to a 2025 fact sheet from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Black women with postgraduate degrees earn $93,000 annually compared to $157,570 for white men at the same level of educational attainment—a gap that persists regardless of credential, title, or state. The National Women’s Law Center puts it even more plainly: Black women earn roughly 64 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.