Zonta International is a global organization of individuals dedicated to building a better world for women and girls. The Zonta USA Advocacy Action Center is a tool for our members in the United States and other individuals who share our commitment to gender equality to take action to improve the lives of women and girls. With your help, we can make a difference..
On July 2, 2025, the Department of Labor proposed a rule that would strip away federal minimum wage and overtime protections for domestic workers. If enacted, this change would roll back decades of progress and leave more than 2 million caregivers—including home health aides, personal care aides, direct support professionals, housekeepers, and cooks—at risk of being paid poverty wages.
Domestic workers are the backbone of home care in America. They make it possible for seniors and people with disabilities to live with dignity, independence, and safety in their own homes. Yet these workers—over 90% of whom are women, and more than half of whom are Black, Hispanic, or Asian American and Pacific Islander—are already paid far less than other U.S. workers. On average, they earn just $13.79 an hour compared with the national median of $21.76.
Removing wage protections would only deepen this inequity. Many domestic workers would be forced to leave the field, creating a shortage of caregivers just as the demand for home care continues to rise. Families would struggle to find affordable, reliable care, and communities would face the impossible task of filling the gaps.
This proposal is not only unjust—it is shortsighted. Paying workers less won’t make care more accessible. It will make it scarcer, less stable, and harder for families to secure. To read more about the issue and the proposed rule, click here.
All workers deserve fair pay, and all families deserve quality care. The Department of Labor should be raising standards for domestic workers to ensure fair pay. Women are already paid less than men and removing minimum wage protections and overtime pay will only widen the equal pay gap. We strongly oppose this proposed rule and call on the Department of Labor to protect minimum wage and overtime rights for every domestic worker.
There is limited time to submit comments to the Department of Labor in opposition to the proposed rule. Copy and paste this information and submit a public comment (as an individual, Zonta club, Zontian, or even anonymously), by September 2, 2025 via this link: