Today’s Latina Equal Pay Day — a day set aside to highlight the stark wage gap Latina workers continue to face.
Despite their growing presence in the workforce, Latinas earn only 51 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. This gap widens for part-time and seasonal workers. For full-time, year-round workers, it’s 58 cents. Over a lifetime, Latinas lose over $1.2 million due to wage disparities.
“Latina Equal Pay Day is the day that symbolizes how far into the year Latino women must work to earn what white men earned on average,” ABC News explains.
It’s the last equal pay day of the year, and activists hope it helps close the growing wage gap.
The Need for Latina Equal Pay Day
Why do Latinas get paid less on average? Jasmine Tucker, the director of research at the National Women’s Law Center, has a theory.
“There’s really a whole host of things at play here, but the first factor to acknowledge is the racism and sexism Latinas face in the workforce,” Tucker says in an interview. “They’re not working half as hard or worth half as much. They’re working incredibly hard across various fields.”
Underpaid and Underprotected
Latinas are overrepresented in low-wage sectors, including farm, domestic, and migrant work, often without essential labor protections. Citizenship status adds to the risk of wage theft and harassment. Without economic security for these workers, the broader economy remains weak.
However, as Tucker pointed out, Latinas working in all industries, at all levels, are still making less than other demographic groups, including Black and Asian women in the United States.
Two Key Legislative Actions
There are two key legislative actions currently on the books to help close the wage gap between Latinas and others. The Paycheck Fairness Act of 2023 bill is meant to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It would eliminate pay discrimination, protect workers discussing wages, and modernize pay data collection.
The BE HEARD Act (2021-2022) is another act which would protect Latinas in the workplace. It aims to end workplace harassment, expanding federal protections and banning forced arbitration and subminimum wage for tipped employees.
Besides the proposed legislation, activists say there are other ways to promote change. For Latina Equal Pay Day, organizers are asking everyone to “join the social media storm” at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST. and use the hashtags #LatinaEqualPay and #Trabajadoras. Advocate for these legislative actions to help close the pay gap for Latinas.
