Latina Women Earn 57 Cents for Every Dollar Paid to White Men
According to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Latina women who work full time, year-round earn 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.
This pay gap translates to a loss of $1,218,000 over a 40-year career. In other words, Latinas lose $30,450 in wages per year or $2,538 every month compared to their white male counterparts.
This significant wage disparity means that Latinas have to work until they are 90 years old to earn what a white, non-Hispanic man is paid by the time he is 60.
Pay Gap Disparities Within the Latina Community
The wage gap varies among different Latina communities, with Honduran, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran women earning the smallest percentage of what white non-Hispanic men earn. On the other hand, Argentinian and Spanish women earn 82 cents and 81 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by white men.
This lifetime loss of wages not only affects Latinas’ ability to make ends meet but also hampers their opportunities for education, homeownership, and retirement, hindering their ability to build wealth for future generations.
Furthermore, all Latinas, regardless of their country of origin, are typically paid less than their Latino male counterparts, earning an average of 82 cents for every dollar.
Factors Contributing to the Wage Gap
Although the labor force participation rate for Latinas has increased, they are disproportionately represented in low-paid occupations, making up 15.9% of the workforce in these jobs compared to their overall share of 8%.
Nearly 2 in 5 Latinas (39.1%) work full time in low-paid occupations, such as housekeepers, cooks, nurses, and teachers, where they are paid less than white men.
Even when Latinas pursue higher education, it does not shield them from the wage gap. While Latinas with professional degrees earn more than those without, white, non-Hispanic men with the same degrees make over $62,000 more per year than Latinas.
Efforts to Close the Gap
Companies are taking steps towards pay equity by conducting internal audits and releasing disclosures that outline gender and racial pay gaps. However, only 24% of Russell 1000 companies disclose their pay equity analyses, with even fewer providing results disaggregated by race or ethnicity.
Advocates continue to push for more transparency and disclosure from companies to address and rectify the wage gap affecting Latinas and other marginalized groups.
