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.