Hannah Regan, Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation at Case Western Reserve University’s Flora Stone Mather Center for Women, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on July 9, and research into the growing wage gap for black women in non-union positions.
On average, black women who work a full-time, 40-hour a week, non-union job will make 34 cents less per dollar than a white male in the same position who started at the same time, according to the most recent U.S. Census data. Regan discussed the research done by Case Western Reserve University into this pay gap, and outlined several concerns about the growing wage gap for workers outside of unions.
Regan talked about ways to remedy the growing pay gaps. She discussed how an equity assessment on the salaries offered by employers are necessary in order to start addressing the wage gaps for black women in the work force.
Finally, Regan talked about a need for transparency in salaries, and how workers in America are less likely to discuss their wage with their coworkers. She talked about the lack of communication between coworkers about wages, and the general sense of privacy over a persons pay. Until the communication improves among peers, there is a strong likelihood that marginalized groups like black women will continue to suffer, Regan said.
Listen to the show above to hear more from Regan.