Native pay gap recognized with Native Women’s Equal Pay Day

EBS STAFF

On Sept. 23, the nation recognized the still-existing pay gap between white and native workers. Known as Native Women’s Equal Pay Day, Sept. 23 symbolizes how far into the year an American Indian woman must work in order to earn what a white man earned the previous year.

Nationally, Native women earn approximately $0.58 for every dollar a white, non-Hispanic man earns. In Montana, the gap is slightly narrower: a Native woman earns $0.59 for every dollar a white man earns.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 7 percent of Montanans identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, making this group the largest minority population in the Treasure State.