Today is Asian American Women’s Equal Pay Day, which means Asian American women’s salaries are just catching up to what white men made in 2016. Compared to their white male counterparts, Asian American women working full time typically are only paid 85 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

Asian American women are a diverse population and the wage gap affects subgroups of Asian American women differently. For example, most Chinese American women do not experience a wage gap compared to their white male counterparts, but Vietnamese American women have a larger wage gap than Asian American women overall, making only 62 percent of what white men do. Older Asian American women are also disproportionately affected. Asian American women ages 45-64 make only 68 cents for every dollar white men make, and this figure drops to 53 cents to every dollar for Asian American women over 64 years old.

Over the course of a 40-year career, an Asian American woman on average loses $365,440 because of the wage gap, meaning an Asian American woman has to work nearly 48 years to make what a white man makes in 40 years.

Today and every day, join the California Women’s Law Center in advocating for equal pay for all women. Learn more about how equal pay impacts the lives of women and girls by clicking here.