• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPWwage gap

This cute video from YouTube star Issa Rae explains everything that’s not cute about the wage gap

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 27, 2015, 11:49 AM ET
Courtesy of Make It Work / YouTube

If you don’t understand what all the pay gap fuss is about, this new video should do the trick.

On Tuesday, Make it Work, an advocacy group for economic security, released a two-and-a-half minute video as part of its campaign to raise awareness of unequal pay in advance of the 2016 election.

The group partnered with Issa Rae, YouTube star and creator of the award-winning web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, to create the clip, which explains the wage gap in a simple, kid-friendly way.

In the video, which is called “Lessons in equal pay for corporate America,” two adults buy lemonade from four children: a white boy, a white girl, a black girl and a Latina girl. Although all the lemonade is the same, the adults offer the white boy the full price ($1), but the girls all get less for the same product: the white girl gets 78 cents, the black girl 65 cents, and the Latina 54 cents.

The video plays up how unjust and illogical the pay gap is. When one of the girls asks why the boy gets more than they do, the adult answers, “Because we value him more than we value you.” When she asks why again, the answer is simply, “Because that’s the way it’s always been.”

The amount paid to each girl in the video reflects the 2015 pay gap, which results in an annual average loss of $11,000 for white women, and $22,000 and $25,000, for black and Latina women, respectively, according to Make It Work. And unfortunately, the situation is only getting worse.

Watch the full clip here:

Subscribe to The Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

Emma Grede—the self-made millionaire behind the $5 billion Skims empire—says it all began with an audacious cold call to Kris Jenner: ‘The difference between me and someone else is, I made it happen’
SuccessHow I made my first million
Emma Grede—the self-made millionaire behind the $5 billion Skims empire—says it all began with an audacious cold call to Kris Jenner: ‘The difference between me and someone else is, I made it happen’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
19 hours ago
What Lena Dunham’s memoir tells us about TV’s double standard
NewslettersMPW Daily
What Lena Dunham’s memoir tells us about TV’s double standard
By Ellie AustinApril 16, 2026
22 hours ago
fudd
CommentarySports
Azzi Fudd: how I learned to use NIL for transformation, not just transactions
By Azzi FuddApril 15, 2026
2 days ago
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
SuccessBillionaires
Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated again—a week after gifting millions to a college, she’s just given $70 million to Meals on Wheels America
By Emma BurleighApril 13, 2026
4 days ago
Two women on a rooftop taking photos of cans of soda
C-SuiteFood and drink
This TikTok sensation sold her startup for $2 billion. Now Pepsi is letting ‘Poppi be Poppi’
By Eva RoytburgApril 12, 2026
5 days ago
takaichi
Arts & EntertainmentJapan
Japan’s Prime Minister welcomes Deep Purple, capping 50-year love affair with heavy metal: ‘You’re my god’
By Mari Yamaguchi and The Associated PressApril 10, 2026
7 days ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeApril 15, 2026
2 days ago
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
Economy
A world going broke: IMF says America's $39 trillion national debt is actually a global problem—and AI may be the only rescue
By Nick LichtenbergApril 16, 2026
18 hours ago
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
Success
Germany already told its workers to ditch four-day weeks and work-life balance. Now the government wants to cut their pay for calling in sick, too
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
Politics
MacKenzie Scott is bypassing the Ivy League and rewriting the $79 billion higher ed playbook by giving to HBCUs and community colleges
By Sydney LakeApril 16, 2026
22 hours ago
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerApril 16, 2026
1 day ago
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani points at Ken Griffin's $238 million penthouse on Tax Day: 'Today we're taxing the rich'
Personal Finance
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani points at Ken Griffin's $238 million penthouse on Tax Day: 'Today we're taxing the rich'
By Catherina GioinoApril 16, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.