Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, observed this year on July 21, highlights the persistent wage gap affecting Black women across the United States and the economic inequities that continue to shape lifetime earnings.

According to new research from the National Women’s Law Center, Black women working full-time, year-round earned approximately 65 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men in 2024. The observance symbolizes how far into the following year Black women must work to earn what white male workers earned during the previous calendar year.