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July 21, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 36—RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EQUAL
PAY AND THE DISPARITY IN WAGES PAID TO MEN AND TO BLACK WOMEN
Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER (for herself, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Gallego, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kim, Mr. King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Markey, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Peters, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Slotkin, Ms. Smith, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Warner, Ms. Warren, Mr. Welch, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
S. Con. Res. 36
Whereas July 21, 2026, is Black Women's Equal Pay Day, a
day of observance of the wage gap between working Black women
and working white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of
1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)) (commonly known as the “Equal Pay
Act of 1963”) prohibits discrimination in compensation for
equal work on the basis of sex;
Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42
U.S.C. 2000e et seq.) prohibits discrimination in
compensation because of race, color, religion, national
origin, or sex;
Whereas, despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 6
decades ago, which requires that men and women in the same
workplace be given equal pay for equal work, data from the
Bureau of the Census show that Black women working full time
and year round are paid 65 cents for every dollar paid to
white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, when part-time and part-year workers are included
in the comparison, Black women are paid 63 cents for every
dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas, if the current trends continue, on average, Black
women will have to wait nearly 200 years to achieve equal
pay;
Whereas the median annual pay for a Black woman in the
United States working full time, year round, is $51,660,
which means that, if the current wage gap were to continue,
the average Black woman would lose nearly $1,113,600 in
potential earnings because of the wage gap over the course of
a 40-year career;
Whereas lost wages mean Black women have less money to
support themselves and their families, to save and invest for
the future, and to spend on goods and services, causing
businesses and the economy to suffer as a result;
Whereas the median earnings of Black women are less than
the median earnings of white, non-Hispanic men at every level
of academic achievement, and in leadership and professional
positions;
Whereas Black women with bachelor's and master's degrees
experience a larger wage gap in comparison to white, non-
Hispanic men than Black women with a high school diploma;
Whereas, in the United States, more than 69 percent of
Black mothers are the sole or primary breadwinners for their
families, compared to slightly more than 33 percent of white,
non-Hispanic mothers;
Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality
childcare, support for caregivers caring for elderly or
disabled family members, paid family and medical leave, paid
sick leave, and other family-friendly workplace policies
contributes to the wage gap by forcing many Black women to
choose between their paycheck or job and getting quality care
for themselves or their family members;
Whereas Black women's labor force participation has been
disproportionately impacted by the attacks on diversity,
equity, and inclusion programs in the private sector and
Federal government;
Whereas, if the wage gap were eliminated, a Black woman
working full time, year round, would have enough money for
nearly 2 and \1/2\ additional years of tuition and fees for a
4-year public university, the full cost of tuition and fees
for a public 2-year community college, nearly 16 additional
months of premiums for employer-based family health insurance
coverage with employer contributions, 34 weeks of food for a
family of 4, 14 additional months of home ownership costs,
including mortgage payments, real estate taxes, insurance,
utilities, and fuel costs, 19 additional months of rental
costs, including rent payments, utilities, and fuel, 2 years
of center-based child care for 1 child, or enough money to
pay off the Federal student loan debt of an average borrower
in under 2 years;
Whereas Black women face dual, compounding discrimination
based upon both their race and gender;
Whereas at least 37 percent of women have been sexually
harassed at the workplace, and over 78 percent of sexual
harassment charges filed with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission are filed by women, yet the prevalence
of sexual harassment is likely much higher, as research has
found that only a small number of women who experience
harassment formally report incidents for reasons including
fear of retaliation;
Whereas individuals who are targets of harassment are 6.5
times more likely than individuals who are not targets of
harassment to change jobs or pass up opportunities for
advancement, contributing to the gender wage gap;
Whereas Black women are the most likely of all racial and
ethnic groups to have filed a sexual harassment charge;
Whereas over 6 in 10 workers paid the minimum wage or less
are women, and there is an over-representation of women of
color in low-wage and tipped occupations;
Whereas nearly \1/2\ of private sector workers report that
they were either discouraged or prohibited by their employers
from discussing wage and salary information, which can hide
pay discrimination and prevent remedies;
Whereas the pay gap faced by Black women is part of a wider
set of disparities faced by Black women in home ownership,
unemployment, poverty, access to childcare, and the ability
to accumulate wealth;
Whereas the gender wage gap for Black women has narrowed by
only 4 cents in the last 2 decades;
Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy
that addresses the gendered and racial injustices that Black
women face daily; and
Whereas many national organizations have designated July
21, 2026, as Black Women's Equal Pay Day to recognize the
persistent and detrimental wage gap Black women face: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That Congress—
(1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women
and its impact on women, families, and the United States; and
(2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay for equal
work and narrowing the gender wage gap.