Every year, Latina Equal Pay Day is a reminder of the wage gap Latina workers face in the United States.
For the first time in 20 years, the wage gap has grown for Latina workers despite their exceptional economic impact. While Latinas thrive in various career sectors and businesses, with their GDP totaling $1.3 trillion, on average they are paid 51 cents to every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. According to “Equal Pay Day,” this figure includes all Latinas with reported earnings, including part-time, seasonal, and migrant workers. Full-time, year-round working Latinas’ wage gap is 58 cents for every dollar.
Due to the current wage gap, Latina workers stand to lose more than $1.2 million throughout a 40-year career.
While all Latinas experience the wage gap, those with professional degrees take the greatest hit
A recent report on the impact of the Latina GDP in the US economy showed how Latinas’ educational attainment has helped them thrive financially. In fact, from 2010 to 2021, the number of Hispanic women with a bachelor’s degree grew to 103.0%. In those 11 years, Latinas’ educational attainment grew 2.7 times higher than non-Hispanic women.
However, according to National Women’s Law Center statistics, educational attainment means little to the wage gap. Latinas are still typically paid less than white, non-Hispanic men with the same educational attainment. Additionally, they are often paid less than white non-Hispanic men with less educational attainment than them.
The report shows that full-time Latinas working year-round with a high school diploma are paid about 64 cents per every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men with the same educational stance. Those with an associate’s degree are paid $40,000. Less than non-Hispanic men working full-time with a ninth-grade education are paid about $45,000.
Finally, full-time year-round Latina workers have to earn a master’s degree to be paid more than a white, non-Hispanic male with only an associate’s degree. In total, Latinas with professional degrees stand to lose over $2.9 million to the wage gap in 40 years.
The wage gap reflects the economic hurdles Latinas face consistently
Pay equity continues to be an issue for Latinas. As Equal Pay Day Today notes, Latinas are underpaid in industries where they are overrepresented and may lack basic workplace protections. Among them, farmworkers, domestic workers, migrant, seasonal, immigrant, and part-time workers are the most vulnerable.
In many cases, the immigration status of Latinas puts them at risk of being left out of workplace protections. Additionally, they are more vulnerable to sexual harassment and wage theft in the workplace.
“If today’s median wage gap does not close, Latinas entering the workforce today stand to lose a staggering near $1.3 million over the course of a 40-year career,” a report from the National Women’s Law Center states. “Assuming a Latina and her white, non-Hispanic male counterpart both begin work at age 20, the wage gap means a Latina would have to work until she is 89 years old—eight years beyond her life expectancy—to be paid what a white, non-Hispanic man has been paid by age 60.”
Among the greatest concerns with these disparities is that Latinas lack opportunities to build generational wealth, invest in homes, retirement and education.
Latina Equal Pay Day reflects the need for wage reform
Hope is not lost for Latinas as we continue to speak out and rally for equal pay. After all, achieving pay equity is a need that ensures Latinas thrive in all areas of their lives.
The Paycheck Fairness Act urges federal lawmakers to modernize and strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963. This combats pay discrimination and closes the wage gap. Additionally, it protects workers from retaliation for discussing pay, bans the use of prior salary history, and codifies pay data collection.
Additionally, the BE HEARD Act urges federal lawmakers to co-sponsor and pass the Bringing to an End to Harassment by Enhancing Accountability and Rejecting Discrimination in the Workplace Act. This legislation addresses workplace harassment, extending federal protections against all forms of discrimination for workers. It also clarifies that sex discrimination at work includes harassment and other forms of discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
You can take part by contacting your legislators today!