Labor Day is a time to recognize the workers who built this country, and the movements that fought to make work more fair, safe, and dignified. For women, the labor movement has always been about more than a paycheck. It has been about having the freedom to build a life on our own terms.
From the women who organized for better wages and safer working conditions to the feminists who demanded—and still demand— equal pay, paid leave, and an end to workplace discrimination, generations of women have fought for economic independence as a fundamental part of equality.
Yet more than a century of organizing has not erased the inequalities women face at work. Women working full-time, year-round earn about 81 cents for every dollar earned by men. The gap is even wider for many women of color: compared with white, non-Hispanic men, Black women earn about 69 cents and Hispanic women about 57 cents for every dollar. Black and Hispanic women also face the compounding effects of occupational segregation, with women of color disproportionately represented in lower-paying jobs. In 2023 alone, the Department of Labor estimated that Black women lost $42.7 billion and Hispanic women lost $53.3 billion in wages compared with white men because of occupational and industry segregation.
Women remain underrepresented in positions of power and leadership. Women hold just 10.4% of Fortune 500 CEO positions, while women of color make up only 7.8% of Fortune 500 board members. Equality at work cannot simply mean having the opportunity to enter the workforce. It must also mean having an equal opportunity to advance and build economic security.
That fight has always extended beyond the workplace. Women’s economic freedom is inseparable from the freedom to make decisions about our own bodies, families, and futures. Without reproductive freedom, economic independence is limited. The cost of an abortion can include the cost of the procedure itself, but also transportation, childcare, time away from work, and other expenses.
For women entering the workforce, bodily autonomy is more than an abstract idea. It can determine whether someone can finish school, accept a job, move to a new city, pursue a career, or decide when and whether to become a parent.
In fact, 45% of 18-34 year old workers would reject a job offer in a state where abortion is illegal and 62% would “probably not” or “definitely not” live in a state that banned abortion at all. As of July 2026, only 53.8% of young people were employed. In an increasingly difficult job market, young people should not have to choose between economic opportunity and control over their own bodies.
The feminist movement has understood this connection for generations. The fight for women’s equality has never been limited to any single workplace, policy, or election. It has been a fight for the freedom to participate fully in society and to make decisions about our own lives. That is the promise behind the Equal Rights Amendment, which Congress must recognize.
As the 2026 midterm elections get underway, voters have an opportunity to decide what kind of freedom women will have in the years ahead. The issues on the ballot, from wages and workplace protections to reproductive rights are deeply connected.
Women demand freedom. We demand the freedom to work, earn, organize, vote, choose, and to determine the course of our own lives. That has always been the promise of the feminist movement and this Labor Day, it is still the fight ahead.