Once again, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) reveals a data analysis report from 2023, which shows that the wage gap between men and women in the country is not tending to decrease. But when the magnifying glass is placed on the figures, which describe the reality of Latina women, the “abysses” continue to define a reality described by activists as “discriminatory” and “undervaluing” this female population.
As the NWLC analysis states verbatim, “assuming that a Latina and her non-Hispanic white male counterpart begin working at age 20, the wage gap means that a Latina would have to work until age 89, (eight years older than her life expectancy) to receive the same salary as a non-Hispanic white man, at age 60.”
With the most recent survey numbers, Hispanic women who worked full time, for all of last year, generally received just 58 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
When part-time workers are included, Latinas generally received only 51 cents on the dollar in the same situation, in that time period.
This report was revealed this Thursday, when ‘Latina Equal Pay Day’ was celebrated.
This means that they stop earning 42 cents for every dollar, which over a month, a year and a lifetime, could be a lifesaver for Latinas and their families. If the current median wage gap is not closed, Latinas entering the workforce today could lose a staggering sum of nearly $1.3 million over the course of a 40-year working lifetime.
It is noteworthy that the methodology of this report does not include information on women who are “under the table”, that is, undocumented women who agree to work even below the legal minimum, in their attempt to survive. This overview shows the category of workforce, which has been incorporated into stable, unionized jobs that require a certain level of preparation.
“In general, if we analyze the national average, the minimum wage has not increased significantly in the last 15 years. But we observe that the majority of people who are paid the legal minimum are women of color,” says Diana Ramírez, a labor expert at NWLC.
Hispanic women who work full-time, year-round, can “lose” $2,672 per month or $32,070 per year, when contrasted with the same activity earned by white men. These lost wages could have paid for a full year of rent, a full year of child care and six months of groceries, the report finds.
In this same 2022 report, non-Hispanic white men earned 54 cents more for every dollar earned in a workday, compared to Latinas.
Another figure indicated that whites who work full-time and part-time are paid $50,624 per year. While for Hispanic women, this weight was only $25,312 per year. And for Latinas, who were not born in the United States, it was $23,287.
In the same occupations
However, this occupational segregation alone does not explain the wage gap, as Latinas tend to receive lower wages than men, even within the 40 lowest-paid occupations, including undervalued jobs such as child care workers, In home health and personal care, maids, and cleaners and janitors, Latinas receive only 73 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
By contrast, Hispanic women in the 40 “highest-paying” occupations face an even larger wage gap, earning just 63 cents for every dollar that men earn in those same areas.
This equates to $45,000 less annually and a staggering $1.8 million loss over a lifetime, the NWLC update highlights.
More educated, equally poorly paid
The most notable thing in this analysis, which draws the year 2023, is that it was once again confirmed that women with university education have lower incomes. The conclusion is that having a higher education degree amplifies the margin of difference even more: the wage gap increases to 2.9 million dollars.
“These lifetime losses deprive Latinas of the opportunity to invest in their education, home ownership, and retirement, impacting not only their ability to make ends meet, but also prevents them from generating generational wealth,” establishes this survey.
Although educational attainment is often considered a path to economic stability, Hispanic women tend to earn less than non-Hispanic white men with the same educational level and often earn less than non-Hispanic white men with lower educational attainment, they report. these data.
Abysses… even with a master’s degree
“For this reason, we are promoting policies that support unions; when women are part of these unions, they almost always have higher salaries. We are also promoting salary transparency policies, so that employers publish the salaries they offer,” added Ramírez.
Additionally, women who work full-time, year-round, have to obtain a master’s degree to reach $70,000 annually, but it still reveals a big difference, because in this case, men with only an associate’s degree, They can reach $62,000.
NWLC’s accounting data shows that Hispanic women who work full-time, year-round, with an associate’s degree generally receive $40,000, which is less than what men who work full-time, year-round are paid. year, with less than ninth grade, for whom national weightings put it close to $45,000.
Given this sequence of numbers that show a contrast in income between sexes, there are diverse opinions.
“It seems to me that these differences have a lot to do with the sectors. I work in the hospital sector and there really is quite a bit of parity. I do not complain, nor do I think, that my male colleagues have a different salary. I believe that we are now in a moment of more balance, if we talk about the professional sectors, if we compare it with ten years ago,” said Raquel Limandi, a medical assistant at a hospital in New York.
Hispanics and immigrants
There is a trend that continues to persist: Hispanic women who were not born in the United States, regardless of their university education, skills and experience, continue to face many difficulties in seeking a moderately competitive income.
Even among immigrants, there are some Latinas who experience greater wage discrepancies.
In this check of the weights of various national groups in the United States, Guatemalan women earned only 41 cents, Honduran women received 42 cents, and Salvadoran women only 47 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men.
Spanish women are the Spanish-speaking group in the United States, with the smallest wage gap among all Latina workers, although they still typically receive 69 cents for every dollar paid to men.
Specifically, it is stated that for women of Latin American origin, in general, the group of Argentinian, Chilean, Panamanian, Costa Rican and Puerto Rican women, the salary gap is smaller, when compared to the Venezuelan, Bolivian, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Mexican and Ecuadorians.
What’s happening in New York?
In New York, some analyzes have proven that professional women generally continue to earn much less than men. The interesting thing is that they continue to increase their graduation rates in high school and college, based on research released last year by the organization Hispanics Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)
The wage earnings gap for all women in New York is higher than all national averages, at 74 cents for every dollar earned by a man.
As HOPE points out, Latinas in New York are paid just 58 cents for every dollar earned by a white man in 2021, in contrast to 82 cents for white women, a number that aligns with all national trends.
In the specific case of Latinas in New York City, they earned only 45 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. Two cents less than in 2010.
In Manhattan, Latina earnings fell to 36 cents.
good news
The average number of women in New York, in business positions, also continues to rise, having broken the $100,000 salary barrier per year.
It is clear from the cross-section of numbers from the recent HOPE report that Hispanic women are highly motivated by higher education throughout the country. Even more so in New York.
Data compared between 2018 and 2021 show that more and more Latinas in New York have postgraduate degrees or bachelor’s degrees.
But, this progress is tempered by ongoing disparities in the percentage of white women receiving bachelor’s degrees, 24.3% versus 15.6% for Latina New Yorkers.
Similarly, the percentage of white women in New York with graduate or professional degrees is more than twice that of Latinas.
The worst paid:
- Latina women represent 8.2% of the country’s total workforce, but they are overrepresented in low-paying jobs and underrepresented in well-paid jobs.
- Latinas represent 16.2% of the low-paid workforce, while their participation in the well-paid workforce is only 4.1%.
- 31.5% of the total workforce are non-Hispanic white men, but only 18.0% of the low-paid workforce and 41.3% of the well-paid workforce.