For more than a quarter-century, the United States has recognized Equal Pay Day: the day that marks how far into the new year the average woman must work to match what her male counterparts made the year before.

Union Women Equal Pay Day comes a full month earlier than Equal Pay Day for all women because of the significantly smaller pay gap between unionized women and men. Being represented by a union reduces women’s wage gap by nearly 40 percent compared to the pay gap experienced by non-union women. This means hundreds of thousands of additional dollars in union women’s pockets over the course of their careers.

Today, Equal Pay Day arrives earlier than it has in its 26-year history.

Overall, women make.83 cents for every dollar that men make, according to the most recent US Census data.

This means that in 2020, the average woman working full-time, year-round, made 83 cents to a typical man’s dollar — up one cent from the previous year.

By race, the numbers tell a different story.

Here's a list of what women by other racial groups make compared to white men.

• Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day is May 3. Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid 75 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is September 21. Black women are paid 58 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• Native Women’s Equal Pay Day is November 30. Native women are paid 50 cents for every dollar paid to white men.
• Latina’s Equal Pay Day is December 8. Latinas are paid 49 cents for every dollar paid to white men.

The good news is that the overall gender wage gap is closing.

Women made 82% of what men made in 2018, compared with 60.5% in 1969, according to the American Association of University Women.

But while we should celebrate the progress, we have made we should not be satisfied until Equal Pay Day is no longer necessary at all.

If women made what they deserve equal to what their male counterparts are making, the economy would be doing much better. We need to get serious about making sure that women are earning the money that they deserve.

We need to make sure that we're making our voices heard this (election) year.