Native Women’s Equal Pay Day - Statement by Vice President Joe Biden

As we mark Native Women’s Equal Pay Day, we recognize how far into 2020 Native women work to make what the average non-Hispanic white man did in 2019. Earning just $0.57 on the dollar that an average white man makes, Native women lose over $1 million over the course of their lifetime. That’s unacceptable.

We also know that the COVID-19 pandemic, worsened due to President Trump’s failure to act, is threatening to wipe out decades of economic progress for women and will be felt for years to come. With many women serving as sole or primary breadwinners, this cannot go on for working families. We must do something to improve women’s economic security in America, and this November, we can.

As President, I will work to contain this virus, get folks safely back to work and school, and build America back better for women so it is more inclusive and equal. That means tackling the gender wage gap and wage discrimination, building on the progress we made during the Obama-Biden Administration. In addition, a Biden-Harris Administration will address challenges facing Native women, such as access to comprehensive health care and affordable child care that are critical to ensuring a better quality of life. We will also tackle the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Native women should not have to work nine extra months into the year to earn what the average white man earned last year. They deserve better. A Biden-Harris Administration will stand with women in Indian Country.