The Gender Pay Gap Is Unacceptable — and It's Even Worse For Women of Color

In honor of Black Women's Equal Pay Day on Aug. 7, Lean In is raising awareness about the unacceptable pay gap black women face. A new survey by the National Urban League, SuveyMonkey and Lean In found that, on average, black woman are paid 38 percent less than white men and 21 percent less than white women. Lean In has launched the #38PercentCounts campaign to draw attention to that glaring inequality.

In the campaign video, shown above, black women of varying professions discuss the money they are missing out on as a result of the pay gap. In a press statement, Sheryl Sandberg said: "The pay gap facing black women is an urgent problem. We need to address the gender and racial inequalities that give rise to this imbalance and create workplaces where everyone's labor is valued, everyone is treated with respect, and everyone has an equal shot at success."

Lyft, Adidas, Reebok, and several other big-name companies have also joined in on the campaign. Adidas and Reebok, for example, will present thought-provoking messages about #38PercentCounts in stores and online. Meanwhile, Lyft will ask riders to imagine if their ride had suddenly ended with 38 percent of the route left to go.

Lean In has announced plans to launch a similar campaign on Latina Equal Pay Day on Nov. 1.