Report on the Status of women and girls in California: Earnings vary substantially by ethnicity, data shows

A new report has revealed substantial disparities in the earnings of women and girls across ethnicities in California. According to the data, women and girls belonging to certain ethnic backgrounds are being disproportionately affected by the gender wage gap.

The study, conducted by the California Women’s Foundation, analyzed the median annual earnings of women and girls in the state based on their ethnicity. The findings illustrate a wide range of disparities among the surveyed population.

Women and girls of Asian descent had the highest median weekly earnings at $1,030, followed by White women and girls at $939. Meanwhile, women and girls of Hispanic, African American, and Native American backgrounds earned significantly less, with median weekly earnings of $704, $611, and $569 respectively.

The data also revealed disparities within each ethnicity. Asian women and girls had the greatest disparity between the highest and lowest earners, with a range of $2,167. The range among Hispanic women and girls was $1,564; among African American women and girls, $1,512; and among Native American women and girls, $1,203.

The foundation’s report concluded that the gender wage gap in California disproportionately affects women and girls of certain ethnicities. It noted that the disparities could be attributed to various factors, such as discrimination, lack of access to education and employment opportunities, and systemic inequality.

The report called for policymakers to take additional steps to ensure that all women and girls in California have equal access to economic opportunities. It also encouraged businesses to implement measures to reduce the gender wage gap, such as closing pay gaps between positions traditionally held by women and those held by men.