San Diego city officials and activists came together to call on business and government officials to address pay inequities for Latinas in San Diego, CA on Dec. 8, 2022.
Matthew Bowler | KPBS | Sipa USA
Latina women working full time, year-round earn 58 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, according to data collected by the National Women’s Law Center.
Latina Equal Pay Day, which this year falls on Oct. 3, marks the additional days into the new year that Latinas must work to earn as much as the typical annual salary of white, non-Hispanic male workers.
That gap in pay translates to a loss of nearly $1.3 million over a 40-year career. Break that down further and Latinas lose $32,070 in wages per year, or $2,672 every month, compared with the dominant cohort.
While 58 cents per dollar is a penny improvement compared with the previous year, NWLC notes that even though wages have been increasing, so too has the total wage gap over a lifetime — which last year totaled $1,218,000.
“The increase in lifetime losses and widening of the wage gap for all Latina workers, including part-time workers, is likely because white men’s wages are increasing at a faster rate than other demographic groups,” said Ashir Coillberg, NWLC senior research analyst.
Assuming a Latina and her white, non-Hispanic male counterpart both begin work at age 20, NWLC notes, 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.
Despite the narrow improvement for full-time workers, the gap actually widens for part-time and part-year Latina workers, falling to 51 cents on the dollar compared with 52 cents last year.
Many groups see wage gap widen
The wage gap varies widely for certain Latina communities, and for some in the United States it’s even more extreme.
While full time, year-round Argentinean and Spanish Latina workers remain closest to parity at 84 cents and 81 cents, respectively, wages for Honduran, Guatemalan and Salvadoran women remained the widest at 47 cents, 48 cents and 51 cents, respectively.
“Most other marginalized populations — and women as a whole — saw a slight widening of the wage gap this year, for both full-time, year-round workers as well as when including part-time workers,” Coillberg said.
Guatemalan, Cuban and Spanish women saw the greatest increase in losses over a 40-year career.
Pay disparities at all education levels
Latinas are more likely to hold low-wage jobs, but NWLC research finds pay disparities at all education levels.
While continued education can be a benefit to earnings potential, NWLC data suggests getting more education does not shield them from the wage gap. Latinas are typically paid less than white, non-Hispanic men with the same educational attainment and are often paid less than white, non-Hispanic men with less educational attainment.
Some of the most educated Latinas have some of the most striking pay gaps compared to their white non-Hispanic men counterparts, according to the NWLC. For example, the center said a Latina with a professional degree stands to lose more than $2.9 million to the wage gap over a 40-year career.
“Unequal pay means Latinas have less money to cover current expenses and forces them to miss key opportunities to build wealth and build economic security throughout their lifetimes,” the NWLC notes in the report.
Instead of prioritizing continued education, pay equity experts are advocating for comprehensive legislative reform.
“A comprehensive approach includes requiring equal pay for equal work, pay transparency policies from lawmakers, eliminating the subminimum tipped wage, protection from caregiver discrimination, safety from harassment and health hazards for all workers, prohibiting salary history to determine future pay, and increased access to higher-paid jobs for women,” said Noreen Farrell, Equal Pay Today chair. “That’s how you actually close the gap.”
With the 2024 presidential election quickly approaching and both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump trying to woo Latina women, a key voting bloc, Farrell said the data gives insight into what that group of voters care about most: the economy.
“The widening gap underscores the urgency of tackling this issue to ensure equitable economic opportunities for Latinas,” Farrell said. “Latinas do not have one more day to wait for equal pay.”