Latina Equal Pay Day
According to Equal Pay Today, Latina’s working full time, year-round and part-time earn only 54 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men. Those who work full time year-round earn 57 cents to the dollar. This year, Latina Equal Pay Day falls on December 8th. It takes the average Latina, 12 extra months to earn what the average White, non-Hispanic man earns in a single year.
According to LeanIn, Latinas are paid less than white men and white women. On average, Latinas in the U.S. are paid 51% less than white men and 31% less than white women. The pay gap starts early and from age 16, Latinas are paid less than white boys the same age—and the gap only grows from there, at a 9% gap from ages 16-24, 34% gap from 24-54; and a 42% gap for Latinas 55+. This gap in pay amounts to over $1 million dollars over the span of a 40-year career!
The System is Failing Latinas & Black Women
According to new research by LeanIn.Org and SurveyMonkey, half of Latinas and Black women have struggled to pay for basic necessities like rent and childcare in the past year—and half have less than $300 in savings to fall back on in an emergency.
Latinas Projected to Reach Equal Pay in 2206
Latinas Projected to Reach Equal Pay in 2206: Latinas are overrepresented in undervalued frontline sectors such as leisure and hospitality, retail trade, and other sectors that have lost the most jobs during the pandemic. Latinas are also overrepresented among essential workers who have kept health care and other services going during the pandemic, often at very low pay.
Latinas aren't paid fairly—and that's just the tip of the iceberg
Did you know that nearly 1 in 3 Americans is not aware of the pay gap between Latinas and white men? When Latinas are paid less, they have less money for basic family necessities like rent, groceries, and school supplies. Over time, this impacts families’ ability to invest in savings, higher education, or property.
Data
According to Unidos US, While the challenges that they face in recovering from the recession are shared among women of all races and ethnicities, overcoming the challenges is much more daunting for Hispanic women due to pre-pandemic structural inequalities. Lower wages, fewer job benefits, a lower homeownership rate, lower retirement savings, lower college attainment, and less access to capital all contribute to a wider Latina wealth gap compared to the gap between White women and White men. The pandemic has exacerbated the precarious position of Hispanic women in the workforce and economy.
Closing the Latina Wealth Gap: Building an Inclusive Economic Recovery After COVID | UnidosUS
Data Resources
Reports
A study by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Initiative found that before the pandemic, the number of Latinas in the U.S. labor force was projected to grow by 25.8%, close to 9 times the projected growth of white women in the labor force (3.1%) from 2019-2029. Meaning Latinas are fundamental to a healthy and productive national workforce that invigorates the U.S. economy and maintains national competitiveness. However, disproportionate effects of the pandemic could slow previously projected increases in the labor force participation of Latinas, ultimately impacting the health and productivity of the workforce and economy at large.
Factsheets
This year Latina Equal Pay Day falls on December 8, highlighting that it takes the average Latina working fulltime year-round, an extra 12 months to earn what the average white non-Hispanic man earns in one year. Too often the assumption is that Latinas face a pay gap because they are concentrated in lower-paying roles. However, even in the same job, Latinas are paid less than white men. For example, Latina workers providing health care on the front lines are paid less than frontline white men- with white men getting paid an average of $63/hour, compared to an average of $43/hour for Latinas (EPI).