International Women's Day Highlights Achievements and Economic Barriers

Happy International Women’s Day! In 1977, March 8 was proclaimed the official day to recognize women’s rights and accomplishments around the world, although observances date all the way back to 1909. Falling as it does during the month of March, which is Women’s History Month in the United States, it’s a great day to reflect on the too-often-unrecognized achievements and challenges of women around the world.

The 2018 Global Gender Gap Report, issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF), predicts that, at the current rate of progress, it will take 202 years for women to achieve wage equity with men. The report found that worldwide, on average, women are paid 63% of what men earn, and there is not a single country on earth where women are paid as much as men. The WEF report examines gender inequality across the globe based on four thematic areas: Educational Attainment, Health & Survival, Political Empowerment, and Economic Participation & Opportunity. The analysis of 149 countries determined that Iceland is the most gender equitable and Yemen the least. The United States comes in at 51, just below Mexico.

U.S. Census Bureau statistics reveal that here at home in Mecklenburg County, at the median, a woman who works full-time earns $45,322 per year, or 81% of a man’s $55,628.

The situation is even starker at the intersection of race and gender. Median income for a white man in Mecklenburg County is $67,179 per year. On average, a white woman earns 79% of that ($53,148), an African-American woman earns 58% ($39,168), and a Latina earns 40% ($26,694)*.

It comes as no surprise then that two-thirds of the people seeking assistance at Crisis Assistance Ministry are hard-working women whose resources simply can’t be stretched far enough to cover the basic necessities of utilities and rent. The stories of women like Wendy, Patricia, and Gaylene may not be as well known as those of Rosa Parks or Susan B. Anthony but they continue the tradition of strong, brave women fighting to improve their lives.