Facebook COO Sheryl Sanderg addressed the 2014 National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Latino Entrepreneurs Succeeding Online panel Sunday, urging for a foundational reform in the way the world views both gender and race in light of how it affects minorities such as Latinas.

After opening remarks by NCLR president and CEO Janet Murguia thanking the evening's attendees, Sandberg took to the stage, springboarding off her best-selling book Lean-In and delivering the keynote speech at the Latinas Brunch and Panel during the NCLR's annual conference in Los Angeles. A successful woman in her own right and one of Time Magazine's most influential people in 2012, Sandberg passionately spoke of the hardships brought around by stereotypes.

"We also need to address the stereotypes. Because the stereotypes on gender and race are holding all of us back," Sandberg said after saying she has seen the same problems everywhere.

"We believe men should be decision makers, should take the lead, should be in charge. And we believe women should speak when spoken to, do for others, put themselves second as they help the broader community."

Although women make up 50 percent of the U.S. population, they only hold 24 Fortune 500 CEO jobs, and are on only 17 percent of board seats. Latinas, however, have it even worse, Sandberg points out. Latinas hold only 1 percent of Fortune 500 board seats and absolutely zero CEO jobs. On top of that, Latinas make up only 2 percent of the House of Representatives and have nobody in the Senate.

"That means that when decisions are made that most affect the world, our voices as women, our voices as Latinas, the voices of the Hispanic community, both male and female, we're not equally heard," Sandberg said. "And this is hurting all of us. It's hurting us now, but as the Hispanic community grows projected to be 30 percent of our pop by 2015, the systemic and significant underrepresentation will hurt us even more."

The wage gap hurts Latinas even more. Women are already at a disadvantage, earning around 77 cents on the dollar compared to a man. Latinas are hit even harder, pocketing only 54 cents. Women have a harder time starting small businesses, receiving only 4.4 percent of the total dollars in conventional small-business loans despite the fact women own 30 percent of small companies.

"The numbers are jarring, for sure, and we need to own up to the fact that we want to see more women entrepreneurs, and to make sure they're getting access to capital," Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell told The Associated Press.

The problem, Sandberg says, is deep seeded. Even from an early age the odds are stacked against women. Sandberg pointed out that mothers are more likely to think their baby boys crawled faster and farther than their baby girls -- a tendency that seems to haunt the victimized throughout life.

"What I hear over and over from Latinas is that the cultural expectations reinforce the status quo. That we are taught to give support to our family, to be grateful for what we have, and not to ask for more," she said.

The 2014 NCLR conference's Latinas Brunch and Panel was sponsored by Coca-Cola, Discovery Familia, Toyota, and Wells Fargo and put on by The Adelante Movement.

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