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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2023
Contact: William Lutz 202-785-5100
Mom’s Equal Pay Day is August 15, 2023
Washington, D.C. — Nationally, in 2021 working moms made just 61.7 cents on the dollar compared to working fathers, according to a new Fact Sheet released by IWPR ahead of Mom’s Equal Pay Day on August 14, 2023. Mothers were paid less than fathers in every single state and the District of Columbia, irrespective of whether they worked full-time, part-time, year-round, or part year.
“The gender wag gap continues to be a national disgrace and working mothers are feeling the crunch in every state in the U.S.” said Robyn Watson Ellerbe, Chief Strategy Office of IWPR. “Working mothers often struggle to balance the demands of child care, house work, and other family related responsibilities with their careers. Couple that with the pay inequities working mothers endure when compared to men, and the mothers of this country are set up to fail.”
Key findings ahead of Mom’s Equal Pay Day 2023:
- In 2021 working moms made just 61.7 cents on the dollar compared to working fathers.
- Mothers were paid less than fathers in every single state and the District of Columbia, irrespective of whether they worked full-time, part-time, year-round, or part year.
- Utah had the largest earnings gap for all mothers and fathers; mothers were paid just 44.9 cents per dollar earned by fathers. Vermont had the smallest earnings gap; mothers were paid 75.8 cents per dollar paid to fathers. (see full state data here)
- The majority of mothers worked full-time year-round in all states but the differences in mothers’ and fathers’ likelihood of working full-time year-round varied widely. In the state with the largest earning gap, Utah, fathers were 72 percent more likely than mothers to work full-time year-round.
- Race and ethnicity dramatically widen earnings differences between mothers and fathers. Nationally in 2021, Native mothers earned just 37.1 cents, Hispanic or Latina mothers 40 cents, Black mothers 45.7 cents, White mothers 64.3 cents, and Asian and Pacific Islander mothers 75.7 cents for each dollar earned by White fathers.
“Working mothers need basic supports such as paid parental and family leave; paid sick time; accessible, affordable, and quality child care; and more flexible schedules to fully participate in the American economy,” said Watson Ellerbe. “We are only hurting ourselves if we do not stand with mothers as they labor to build careers and raise families at the same time. Moms Equal Pay Day 2023 is another sad reminder of how far we have yet to go to address these vital issues.”
IWPR’s fact sheet identifies several key challenges facing working mothers, including a lack of statutory rights to parental and family leave; the ongoing child care crisis; the underfunding of child care and undervaluation of child care workers; uneven access to flexible working options; and outright discrimination and harassment.
You can read IWPR’s full fact sheet here.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research strives to win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, IWPR builds evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families. Learn more at IWPR.org and follow us on Twitter.
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