Let’s be clear: The reason we observe Latina Equal Pay Day every year is because it is imperative to name that employers of all kinds are not paying Latinas equitably.
And, no matter what way we slice and dice the data, Latinas working in every sector and in every industry, regardless of education level, are being paid less than our male counterparts. What this means is that, on average, all Latinas with reported earnings in 2021 were paid 54 cents to the dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic male workers.
Whether it is because decisions have been made to deliberately discriminate against Latinas, because implicit bias has impacted pay decisions, or because employers are using prior discriminatory salaries to set a Latina worker’s current pay (note: this is against the law in some states!), the reality is that it is not our fault that we have been underpaid. Business people love it when we play into their hand by trying to help address the pay gap when we establish training programs to teach Latinas how to do better, be better, or act more savvy…
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Ms. Magazine is a partner of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality.
