Women have long been subjected to wage inequalities, but Hispanic women, particularly low-earning Hispanic women, face the largest pay inequalities in the state of Massachusetts, according to a new report.

"Gender wage gap" is a term designed to illustrate the average difference in hourly earning among male and female employees. The gap itself can be attributed to a number of factors, including a difference in educational choices, salary negotiations, work experience, and job titles, as well as discrimination in hiring. However, the gender wage gap cuts Hispanic women in low-wage occupations the deepest.

For years, research has been collected on highly-skilled women employed in medicine, law and business, grossing enough money to be labeled middle- and upper-income earners. However, little attention has been directed toward the pay inequality experienced by low-income earning women in low-wage occupations.

The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at University of Massachusetts Boston published a report asserting that Hispanic women face the largest pay inequalities, learning this after analyzing how women fare compared to their male equivalents. The data shared by UMass demonstrated that Hispanic women earn less than all men and all women across the board, except when nursing, psychiatric and home health aides were concerned. In the case of nursing and psychiatric care, Hispanic women and all women earn 75 percent of what all men earn.

According to report, Hispanic women employed as cashiers, retail salespersons and service representatives earn the least across all occupations, earning 50 percent of what men earn, compared to all women who earn 88 percent. Hispanic women also earn less than all women as janitors, building cleaners and housekeeper (54 percent compared to 63 percent). Likewise, Hispanic women earn less (74 percent) than all women (84 percent) when it comes to bookkeeping, accounting, auditing clerks, secretaries and administrative assistance. Statewide, women earn 81 percent of the pay given to their male counterparts in similar positions. Also, according to a report published by the National Women's Law Center, Latinas earn 49.6 cents for every dollar a non-Hispanic white man makes in the state of Massachusetts.

The persistent gender wage gap continues to push women, particularly women of color, toward the poverty line. Women have continually been excluded from countless well-paying positions, and they often fail to gain support from family when they provide caregiving to the children, elderly and ill in their lives. Latinas, who are frequently exploited, are concentrated in low-wage occupations, highlighting the complex intersection between ethnic bias and gender bias.

Researchers investigated the median annual earnings of full-time workers in Massachusetts across four distinct occupational categories to complete the report. They also used data from the 2013 American Community Survey.