National Organization for Women

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New Research Shows Women Still Paid Less Across Every Industry — Florida’s Wage Gap Among the Worst in the Nation

For Immediate Release: October 5, 2026 / President Julie Kent, Florida NOW

The Florida National Organization for Women (FL NOW) today responds to newly released National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) on the national wage-gap research showing that women — especially Black, Latina, Native, and immigrant women — continue to face deep, persistent pay inequities that undermine economic security for women and families across the state.

According to this  annual analysis from the highly regarded NWLC and IWPR (https://iwpr.org), women in the United States earn 78 cents for every dollar paid to men. But the gap is far wider for women of color in Florida due to:

  • Black women: ~66 cents nationally; 61 cents in Florida
  • Latina women: ~57 cents nationally; 55 cents in Florida
  • Native women: ~60 cents nationally
  • Asian American women: ~87 cents nationally, with significant disparities among subgroups
  • Mothers: face an even larger “motherhood penalty,” losing thousands annually due to discrimination and lack of paid leave

“These numbers are not abstract,” said Julie Kent, President of FL NOW. “They represent lost groceries, lost rent, lost healthcare, lost retirement savings — and lost dignity. Florida women are being shortchanged every single payday, and the impact compounds across a lifetime. This is obviously an economic injustice.”

Florida’s Wage Gap: A Structural Crisis

This new research shows Florida’s wage gap for women of color is worse than the national average, driven by:

  • Occupational segregation
  • Low-wage service industries dominated by women
  • Lack of paid family leave
  • Barriers to advancement
  • Discrimination in hiring and promotion
  • The state’s refusal to adopt pay-transparency or salary-history bans

Over a 40-year career, the average Florida woman of color loses hundreds of thousands of dollarscompared to white, non-Hispanic men — a gap that directly contributes to poverty, housing instability, and food insecurity. 

Equal Pay Is a Reproductive Justice Issue

“Economic justice is also reproductive justice,” said Debbie Deland, VP FL NOW. “You cannot raise children safely, freely, or with dignity when your wages are suppressed by discrimination. Closing the wage gap is essential to the well-being of Florida’s women and  families.”

FL NOW Calls for Immediate Legislative Action

FL NOW urges lawmakers to adopt:

  • A statewide salary-history ban when hiring
  • Mandatory pay-transparency requirements within the company
  • Employer pay-equity audits provided to the State for review
  • Public reporting of wage data by race, ethnicity, and gender by the State
  • Strong enforcement mechanisms for wage discrimination
  • Enforcement of the FL minimum wage for domestic labor

“Florida women deserve better than a system that devalues their labor,” Deland said. “We call on legislators to act now — and we call on Floridians to demand accountability.”

About FL NOW

The Florida National Organization for Women is a large feminist advocacy organization, working to advance gender equity, racial justice, LGBTQ+ liberation, reproductive freedom, and economic justice across all communities.