Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement on Native Women’s Equal Pay Day

Washington, DC, September 8, 2021
CONTACT: Michelle Moreno-Silva
Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Lois Frankel (FL-21), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), and Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on Native Women’s Equal Pay Day.
“Today serves as a reminder of the work that needs to be done to advance pay equity for all Native women,” said the Members. “Decades of sexism and racism have made it so Native women have to work an extra eight months to earn what non-Hispanic white men did during the previous calendar year, and they will lose nearly $1 million over the course of their lifetime because of this wage gap. Despite receiving unequal pay, Native women continue to do the work that keeps our country running, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic as nearly 3 in 10 Native women have been on the front lines providing essential services, from health care to child care to keeping food on the grocery shelves. The work Native women do is crucial to our nation, and we must do our work to ensure they receive equal pay by calling on Senate Republicans to stop their obstructionism and pass H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act so that women finally receive equal pay for equal work.”
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