We confront a stark reality: the wage gap persists not just between men and women, but deepens dramatically when we examine the experiences of immigrant women and women of color.

On this symbolic date, we recognize how much additional time women must work to achieve what men earned in the previous year alone. But for immigrant women and women of color—and especially for those living at the intersection of both identities—this goal is even more distant.

The wage gap is not just a number. It is the reflection of structural inequalities that limit millions of women's access to fair and sustainable economic opportunities.

Structural Roots of Wage Inequality

Wage inequality emerges from multiple interconnected systems of discrimination that operate from childhood and extend throughout working life:

• Residential segregation that restricts access to quality education, professional networks, and employment opportunities.
• Educational marginalization that limits access to higher education and directs women from racialized communities toward lower-paying fields.
• Labor market segmentation that systematically channels women into sectors with lower wages, fewer benefits, and limited advancement opportunities.

These are not individual choices; they are the result of deeply rooted structural barriers.

The Motherhood Penalty: A Persistent Obstacle

Motherhood also compounds these inequities in devastating ways. When women interrupt their careers, delay their professional entry, or accept precarious jobs to assume caregiving responsibilities:

They lose income in the short term.

They reduce their possibilities for advancement and retirement security, and perpetuate economic gaps that affect entire generations, as daughters observe limited professional possibilities for women and internalize messages about their own potential.

For immigrant families and families of color that already face systemic barriers, the motherhood penalty becomes an additional weight that can trap families in cycles of economic disadvantage.

What We Need to Move Forward

Closing the wage gap means confronting these systems at their roots. We must:

• Challenge occupational segregation that devalues "women's work."
• Demand pay transparency and employer accountability.
• Promote public policies that support working mothers without hindering their professional development.
• Center the voices and experiences of women most affected by these disparities when designing real and sustainable solutions.

Voices from the Movement

Yaquelin López, Women Working Together, USA: "As immigrant women, we face a triple burden—gender discrimination, racial discrimination, and the additional barriers that come with our immigration status. Many of us work in industries where we are invisible, where our contributions are undervalued, and where speaking up about unfair wages can put our jobs and our families' security at risk. Equal Pay Day reminds us that our fight for economic justice cannot be separated from our fight for dignity, recognition, and the right to build better futures for our children. We must organize not just for equal pay, but for the structural changes that will allow all women to thrive."

Jeannette Huezo, United for a Fair Economy: "The wage gap isn't just about numbers on a paycheck—it's about power, opportunity, and the ability to shape our communities' futures. When women of color and immigrant women are systematically underpaid, entire families and communities suffer. Equal Pay Day should be a call to action for policies that address not just wage gaps, but the housing, education, and healthcare disparities that keep our communities from achieving true economic security."