Mykola Sosiukin / EyeEm
- October 21 is Latina Equal Pay Day, the day when the average Latina pay catches up to what non-Hispanic white men were paid the year before.
- Insider wants our Latina readers to reflect on a time when they realized they were making less than their white colleagues.
- Scroll down to share your thoughts with Insider. We may contact you to hear more.
October 21 is Latina Equal Pay Day, the day when the average Latina pay catches up to what non-Hispanic white men were paid the year before, and the last equal pay day of the year.
According to Equal Pay Today, Latinas on average make 57 cents for every dollar non-Hispanic white men earn and "must work for nearly 23 months to earn what white men" earn in a year.
The day serves as a reminder that while Latinas have made historic workforce, educational, and political gains, they're still catching up on wages.
To commemorate the day, Voices of Color is asking Latinas: when did you first realize you were making less than your white colleagues for the same or more demanding job?
What did you do about it?
Did you petition for a raise or start looking for other jobs?
What did the incident make you realize about yourself and how others valued your work and your place in the workforce?
Starting at age 16, Latinas are paid less than their white male peers, per Lean In, an organization that provides resources for workplace gender equality.
The wage gap only grows as Latinas get older, with an average earning 30% of what white women take home, and is evident across industries.
There are many misconceptions surrounding the Latina pay gap, including the suggestion that Latinas do not have the same pedigree as their white male colleagues. In actuality, this wage gap persists even when Latinas have more educational credentials than their white male colleagues, per a National Women's Law Center analysis.
The legal organization reports that Latinas with a bachelor's degree who work full-time, year-round jobs generally only earn about $52,037 per year, compared to non-Hispanic white men who generally earn $54,620 with an associate's degree.
The pay gap has broader implications for Latinas beyond a single paycheck. Over the course of their careers Latinas make more than a million dollars less than their white male counterparts.
This Latina Equal Pay Day, consider helping Voices of Color bring awareness to the continuous inequality Latinas face in the workplace by sharing your stories of salary disparities.
No matter what industry you work in, we want to hear from you.