The wage gap issue in this country doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, but that doesn’t mean people shouldn’t demand change. There has been a lot of discussion on the gender pay gap, which puts women at making only 80 cents to every man’s dollar. Race and ethnicity further exacerbate that problem with Latinas making the least money for the same work when compared to all races, ethnicities and genders.
So, what is the wage gap and what does it all mean?
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The wage gap discussion hinges on the fact that women are being paid significantly less than their male counterparts for the same work. Studies have found that for every dollar a man makes, a woman makes 80 cents for doing the same job.
Simply being a female in the workplace can translate into you taking a much smaller salary or hourly wage than a male.
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“Nationally, women who hold full-time jobs are paid just 77 cents for every dollar paid to men who hold full-time jobs,” Debra Ness, the president of the National Partnership for Women and Families, told NBC Latino. “African-American women and Latinas fare worse, being paid 64 cents and just 55 cents, respectively, for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.”
If you are a Latina, studies show that the wage gap is much greater with Latinas making just around 54 cents for every white male dollar.
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That’s nearly HALF! According to the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), not only are Latinas the most underpaid demographic in the United States, the wage gap varies depending on what state you live in. Some states have a larger or smaller wage gap between white males and Latinas.
For perspective, Fortune reported that a Latina will experience $1 million less in pay than a white male over a lifetime for the same job.
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“In fact, what you see is that the wage gap gets bigger over the course of a woman’s career,” Emily Martin, the NWLC general counsel, told Fortune. “[Women] start out making less. If you start making a little less and then your raises are based on a percentage of your salary, the gap grows over time.”
According to NWLC, Texas, California and New Jersey are the three states with the largest Latina wage gap disparity.
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Latinas make 44.2 cents per white male dollar in Texas. Latinas living in California, a state that is majority Latino, are only paid 42.9 cents per every white male dollar. New Jersey comes in dead last with Latinas making just 42.7 cents for every white male dollar.
This is an important issue because an estimated 3 million homes are led by a Latina.
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That would mean that a Latino family in California led by a Latina would have to survive on just 42.9 percent of the money that a household gets that is led by a white male.
Female products are also more expensive than the male versions, as seen in this mitú video.
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Basic products like deodorant, razors and shampoo are more expensive if you are female than if you are male. There’s even a debate going on about whether or not we should do away with taxing tampons.
This Latina gender wage gap even affects some of Hollywood’s most notable Latinas, like Gina Rodriguez.
CREDIT: Credit: Jane The Virgin / CW
It was recently reported by Variety that leading women of color on TV and in movies are getting paid far less than their male and white counterparts. According to information released by Variety, the lead of CW’s “Jane The Virgin” makes just $60,000 per episode while Jim Parsons makes $1,000,000 per episode of “The Big Bang Theory.” ?
So, on this Latina Equal Pay Day, let’s start to demand some serious change. Call your senators, representatives, and even local and county government leaders to start voicing your opinion.
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It’s time to end the wage gap in America.
For some more of that knowledge, check out mitú’s full Latina age gap video below.
How Big Is The Latina Wage Gap?
Posted by We are mitú on Monday, July 25, 2016