Latinas and the Pay Gap

The situation surrounding Latinas and the pay gap is exceptionally disparate. Over represented at the low end of the pay scale and under represented at the top, Latinas endure the broadest wage incongruence of any social group. On average, a Latin-American female is paid 45 percent less than white males and 30 percent less than white females doing the same jobs. Moreover, it has been this way for more than 30 years according to the National Women's Law Center.

A Penny a Decade

Back in 1989, the disparity was chronicled at 52 cents for every dollar afforded a white male. This means there has been an average of a one-cent per decade advancement for Latinas. At that rate, it will take 450 years for parity to be achieved.

And while it might be tempting to attribute this difference to variances in employment status, the reality is white males performing the exact same jobs as Latinas are paid more. Latin-American female nurses for example, earn 28 percent less than white male nurses for the same jobs.

Education Doesn't Help

Further, the disproportion exists even among Latin-American women with college degrees. Latinas with Bachelor's degrees earn 37 percent less than white men with the same credential doing the same work according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Remarkably though, Latinas with high school diplomas are closer to parity than Latinas with advanced degrees. Those in the former category earn 75 cents for every dollar afforded their white male counterparts, while those in the latter category earn 72 cents for every dollar afforded their male Caucasian colleagues.

The Gap Starts Early and Broadens

Latina teens getting their first jobs, when measured against white boys of the same age and experience are paid eleven percent less on average. However, this pay gap grows wider and wider as they get older. By age 24, it has reached 35 percent and at 55 years of age a Latina is looking a 40 percent gap or more.

With that said, occupationally speaking, the gap is narrowest among cashiers, at eight percent. IT jobs trend closer to parity as well, with but a nine percent gap. However, it's more like a gulf when it comes to sales professionals at 51 cents on the dollar.

Limited Advancement Opportunities

An oft-cited contributory factor to gender pay gaps in general is men are more assertive when it comes to negotiating salaries and asking for promotions. However, a study conducted by LeanIn.org in conjunction with McKinsey & Company found Latinas negotiate for promotions and raises at rates exceeding both white men and white women.

The stats show 30 percent of Latin-American women negotiate for raises compared to 26 percent of white men and 38 percent of white women. When it comes to promotions, 25 percent of Latinas open such dialogues, compared to 22 percent of white men and 24 percent of white women. Meanwhile. only 71 Latinas get promoted for every 100 white men elevated to management positions.

Lifetime Cost is Enormous

These inequities add up to a lifetime tariff of more than one million dollars over the course of an entire career for Latinas. While women in general endure this disparity, the order of magnitude by which Latinas are affected is astronomical. Lost income for women as a whole - directly attributable to the pay gap - is $527,000 for white women and $407,700 for women in general.

Clearly, a more concerted effort must be undertaken to reverse the issues surrounding Latinas and the pay gap. Expanded education opportunities, as well as efforts to eliminate societal biases and inequities must be implemented. Moreover, employers must stop perpetuating practices that enable this fundamental unfairness to endure.