Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women who worked full time, year round in 2020 (the most recent year for which we have data) were typically paid just 95 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. But figures for AANHPI women vary widely by community. For example, Burmese women make just 50 cents and Indian women make $1.22 for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. Whatever the wage gap for AANHPI women, lost earnings due to the racist and sexist wage gap has robbed them of the economic security they needed in the pandemic amid job loss, food insecurity, and general uncertainty about their health and safety.
The labor market shifted dramatically in 2020. Millions of jobs were lost, particularly among low-paid workers, and many people left the labor force altogether. The loss of so many low-paid workers caused median earnings for women working full time, year round to rise in 2020, and doesn’t reflect the reality of many AANHPI women who lost jobs that year, or who were forced into part-time work. When we compare workers, regardless of how many hours or weeks they worked, AANHPI women were typically paid only 75 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men in 2020.