"Am I...a victim of pay discrimination?"

Hey! Hope you had a great Fourth of July. We spent the long weekend binge-watching the Netflix series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders…only to find out they’re massively underpaid. 

The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders earn $15–$20 an hour (about $75,000 a year with game and public appearance fees). Meanwhile, the average salary for an NFL player is $2.8 million. 

There is way more to this story…so we’re covering the rest below. Read on!

Pay Discrimination 101

Imagine discovering that your co-worker, who has the same job title, similar responsibilities, and comparable professional experience, earns $10,000 more than you. 

That could be the difference between paying off your student loans vs. staying in debt. Or getting medical care vs. putting off yet another pricey appointment. Or taking that trip you’ve always dreamed of vs. staying home on your couch. 

In other words: It’s a huge deal. 

For many, this scenario isn’t hypothetical: It’s the reality of pay discrimination. To find out if you’re a victim, you’ll need to understand what it is and the many shapes it comes in. Let’s get into it. 👇

WTH is pay discrimination? 

Pay discrimination is when employees are paid differently than their equal counterparts based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, ability, or other demographic characteristics…and it’s illegal. 

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 prohibits gender discrimination, and there have been multiple laws enacted since then to address pay inequity. A few states are going even further with laws around pay transparency and wage history (our interactive map can tell you if your state has laws like this).

Let’s zoom in on the three biggest forms of pay discrimination: 

1) Gender Discrimination 

Women regularly face discrimination on the job. For example, mothers in the workforce are more likely to not get promoted. Women are also underrepresented in high-paying jobs and overrepresented in lower-paying jobs.

In 2020, women’s annual earnings were less than 83% of men’s, with an even wider gap for women of color, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2) Racial Discrimination 

If an employee is unfairly treated based on their race, ethnicity, or skin color, that’s racial discrimination. Examples include an employer promoting someone under-qualified because they’re the same race, or disqualifying a job candidate due to their ethnicity. 

FYI: Black workers earn 14.9% less than white workers. They’ve also experienced higher unemployment rates than their white counterparts for decades. 

3) Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination 

Who you love and what gender you identify as doesn’t impact your ability to do a job. Yet 36% of LGBTQIA+ workers have faced discrimination at work, from being denied family benefits to not qualifying for a raise. 

LGBTQIA+ workers earn 90 cents for every dollar that straight and cisgender workers earn. They’re also less likely to have access to health insurance and other employer benefits. 

So, what can you do about it? 

Is there a way to fight pay discrimination? You bet. Do market research on your role to ensure your pay is up to par, and don’t forget to vote for legislation that improves salary transparency. 

And if you find out you’re a victim of pay discrimination? Don’t panic. We’ve laid out the six-step action plan in our pay discrimination guide so you can get paid what you’re worth ASAP.

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The STS team visited Greenville, North Carolina, to find out what people do for a living and how much they’re earning! 

This video has 32 interviews of people from all walks of life, including… 

• 🫀An Organ Donation Coordinator earning just around $120,000. 

• 🏴‍☠️ A Pirate Reenactor and Technician with a combined total income of $100,000. 

• ☕️ A coffee shop owner who pays herself $18,000 a year (check out Backstage Coffee!) 

To hear everyone’s stories, check out the video below:

• Is Greece okay? On July 1, Greece signed legislation that lets certain businesses enforce a six-day (or 48-hour) workweek to “boost productivity.” Employees who work the sixth day will get 40% extra pay (and 115% if it falls on a holiday). Who's going to tell Greece that working fewer hours boosts productivity?

• Dr. Bronner’s is cleaning up! The 150-year-old soapmaker explained its highest-paid executive can only earn up to five times as much as its lowest-paid employee (this caps executive pay at $238,560, per Entrepreneur). More companies like this, please. 

• Uber and Lyft drivers in Massachusetts are set to get a $32.50 minimum wage. The pay raise is part of a $175 million settlement after drivers claimed the ride-share companies violated Massachusetts wage and hour laws (which wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened).

Thanks for being here! So…why are America’s Sweethearts barely scraping by? In 2017, former cheerleader Erica Wilkins sued the Dallas Cowboys for paying her $8 an hour (in her third year on the team, she made just $16,000). 

To justify the low pay, Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Charlotte Jones has said, “They don’t come here for the money…it’s about being a part of something bigger than themselves.”  

Do you think being a Cowboys cheerleader is a privilege that justifies low pay…or is it a job like any other?

Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you next week!