As a women-owned, women-run company we take special notice of Equal Pay Day, which falls this year on March 24th. Despite the progress we’ve made, this day reminds us how much work remains.
What is Equal Pay Day?
US Women working in the same fields as US Men still earn an average of just 82 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earn. Equal Pay Day is when US Women finally catch up to the wages US Men received by the end of last year. Basically, this means that US women have to work, on average, an extra three months to earn the same amount as US men in the same field.
It’s important to note that this date is calculated by taking an average of all US Women. Disparities across different races and ethnicities are even more pronounced:
Asian American and Pacific Islander Women earn 85 cents on the dollar. However, equal pay figures for this community vary widely by ethnicity.
White, Non Hispanic Women earn 79 cents on the dollar.
Black Women earn 63 cents on the dollar.
Native American Women earn 60 cents on the dollar.
Latina Women earn 55 cents on the dollar.
(Stats from equalpaytoday.org/overview-2021)
Women make up 80% of garment workers.
This year, the sustainable fashion community is shining a light on fast fashion brands that have neglected to pay their garment workers wages earned from as long ago as February 2020, when the pandemic slowed sales.
Throughout the pandemic, our garment workers have been paid on time and in full. When Covid restrictions did not allow us to provide their usual hot lunch on site, they were paid a daily lunch stipend to cover the extra expense of bringing food from home. When public transportation became limited, we hired them a private car to get to and from work with greater ease and safety. If the factory had remained closed for more than two weeks, they would have received hazard pay compensation for lost wages.
Inadequate pay in the fashion industry is not just an offshore issue.
The Garment Worker Protection Act is an active petition that seeks to get fair wages to Los Angeles-based garment workers who are paid far below minimum wage through a piece-rate system, which can be as little as 2 cents a piece and often works out to somewhere between $3-$6 an hour.
Thank you for supporting our efforts to be an ethical and equitable brand.
The comfort of our garments on your skin provide greater comfort and safety in the lives of everyone involved in making them. We take that commitment to heart, and we look forward to the day when issues of equal pay for women and inadequate pay in the fashion industry are problems of the past.