As American women earn more education than men and contribute to
the workforce, while frequently being familial breadwinners,
they also tend to receive less pay for equal work. The universal
implications on American families, their bottom lines, and
opportunities for financial betterment, are apparent. These
problems were reemphasized Thursday when the Center for American
Progress (CAP) released a report on the wage gap. Although race
nuances the wage issue, women generally earn less. "The gender
wage gap exists for all women, regardless of race or ethnicity
... The wage gap is smaller for African American and Hispanic
women primarily because wages for people of color tend to be
lower overall," the center reported. White women and Asian
American women earn about 20 percent less than their same
background male counterparts. Black women earn about 10 percent
less than black men, while Latinas earn almost 9 percent less
than Latinos. As if modern disparities aren't cause enough for
action, the reality of most mo