The road to pay equality is a long one, especially for women of color. On Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, the spotlight blares even brighter on the work that needs to be done.
According to Fairygodboss, a career community centered around empowering women, Black women have to work an additional eight months to earn what their white male counterparts earned last year. Black female employees make $0.63 to every dollar white males make.
The disparity in pay is so large that 1 in 3 employed women of color plan to find alternate employment by the end of 2021, says Romy Newman, president and co-founder of Fairygodboss. These employees are eager for better wages and more flexible work schedules: 50% of Black women surveyed said that a pay raise would get them to stay, and 30% wanted more PTO and flexible work time.
“Not only do women of color want to be paid (and promoted) what they're worth, but they want more flexible work environments,” Newman says. “Managers should have discussions about career goals with their direct reports throughout the year as a sort of check-in. If employees feel that their employer allows them to balance different aspects of their lives, they’re more likely to feel fulfilled in their careers."
Read More: Job applicants with 'Black-sounding names' still less likely to get interviews
The Fairygodboss community seeks to improve the workplace for women by providing networking opportunities and resources, like featuring open job positions and building social platforms to interact with other members of the community. Women can anonymously share their salaries under Fairygodboss’ regularly updated crowdsourced salary database.
"The salary and bonus information included in our salary database is 100% based on anonymous member submissions and is constantly updated,” Newman says. “Our goal with this database is to increase salary transparency so that women can accurately research what they should expect and ask for in their careers."
Fairygodboss found that Black women are also searching for more transparency and action around DEI strategies: 63% of women of color are largely dissatisfied with their company’s response to DEI. Moreover, 60% of women feel their companies are not prepared to handle racist incidents that occur in the workplace.
Read More: Target’s pledge to boost its Black workforce fell short in 2020
"If DEI is truly a priority, companies need to invest in defining a comprehensive strategy with measurable goals that spans recruitment, hiring and workplace practices, and remain open to feedback on what can be done better,” Newman says. “Company leaders should evaluate internal practices to ensure that everyone feels safe and heard and be proactive, so as to prevent incidents and situations that may harm marginalized groups of employees.”
