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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.

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FL NOW Condemns Cornell University’s Failure to Act After Gang Rape: Essays Are Not Accountability—These Men Must Face Felonies!

For Immediate Release: Oct 2, 2026 President Julie Kent, Florida National Organization for Women (FL NOW)

The Florida National Organization for Women (FL NOW) condemns Cornell University for its shocking and unacceptable response to the reported gang rape of a student by members of a campus fraternity. Instead of decisive action, Cornell assigned the perpetrators an essay — a response so trivial and insulting that it amounts to institutional negligence. This is not accountability. This is a disgrace for Cornell.

“Sexual assault is a violent crime. It is not a “teachable moment,” a conduct violation, or an opportunity for reflective writing,” said Julie Kent, President of FL NOW. “It demands immediate involvement by local law enforcement, not internal handling by universities that have every incentive to minimize, obscure, or outright bury the truth to protect their reputations.”

Cornell’s failure is part of a national pattern. Colleges and universities routinely treat sexual assault as a PR problem rather than a criminal act. Survivors are pressured into silence. Administrators hide behind Title IX loopholes.Fraternities and athletic programs receive protection instead of scrutiny. And perpetrators walk free while survivors carry lifelong trauma.

FL NOW is unequivocal: Any sexual assault — including rape, gang rape, or attempted rape — must be reported directly to local police. Universities are not courts. They are not investigators. And they are not neutral actors. Their priority is institutional image, not survivor justice.

Cornell’s response sends a chilling message to students everywhere: your safety is negotiable, and your trauma is secondary to the school’s brand. This is unacceptable. Survivors deserve justice, not essays. They deserve protection, not bureaucracy. And they deserve institutions that treat sexual violence as the crime it is.

FL NOW calls on Cornell University to:

  • Immediately refer this case to local law enforcement.
  • Suspend all individuals involved pending investigation.
  • Conduct an independent review of its sexual assault policies.
  • Publicly commit to ending internal handling of violent crimes.

We also call on state and federal leaders to strengthen laws requiring mandatory police reporting for sexual assault on college campuses. Survivors cannot continue to bear the burden of institutional cowardice.

“FL NOW stands with the survivor, with students nationwide, and with everyone failed by a system designed to protect institutions instead of people. We will not be silent, and we will not allow universities to hide behind paperwork while students are harmed,” said Debbie Deland, Vice President of FL NOW.

Media Contact: Debbie Deland, vp@flnow.org, 407 234-6408

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The Emptiness of Two Powerhouses

Written by Karen Mullins / Southern NOW District National Board Member

I am moved by the earthquakes of the last two and a half weeks. For women, today brings the end of an era and a path to new beginnings. Dolly Parton brought hope, tenderness, and moxie to all that she created. She made us face the discomfort of seeing the biases we hold when we meet someone different from ourselves. She shared her world with us, and we are so much better for it.

Gloria Steinem juxtaposed our culture to shed light on the shortcomings in women’s lives. She embodied grace and wisdom, serving in an ironically maternal way as a mother to all. She shared her world with us, and we are so much better for it. Both women championed women, walked in grace, and made room for others to be fully human in their own right. I am encouraged by the leaders of today and the future who have heard and applied the lessons of both Dolly and Gloria. We have wonderful leaders now because of them both.