The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement is sponsoring Latina Equal Pay Day, a day to bring awareness to the Latina pay gap, on Thursday.
The gender pay gap — wherein women make on average about 80 cents to every man’s dollar — is much wider among women of color and is the widest for Latinas. Latinas make on average 54 cents for every white, non-hispanic man’s dollar, according to a study by the National Partnership for Women and Families.
The LCLAA will hold a summit in Washington, D.C., including a variety of speakers dealing with economic issues unique to Latinas and local events held by partners of the organization.
Although the average amount Latinas make per a white, non-hispanic man’s dollar is 54 cents, this number ranges anywhere from 43 cents to 60 cents. Latinas in North Carolina score on the low side of this range, making only 48 cents for every white, non-hispanic man’s dollar.
Gabby Dimate, a first-year and an executive with the Carolina Hispanic Association at UNC, said pay is affected not only by gender or race but by many other factors including education, xenophobia and language, and documentation barriers — which can uniquely impact Latinas compared to other women.
“Not only are Latinas women — of course that constitutes the overall gender gap — but we’re also minorities, and we’re also seen as foreigners, or not in place,” she said.
Dimate said xenophobia can be a barrier for Latinas in entering the workforce.
“You see Latinas – who may or may not have immigrated from other places – and they’re not seen as people who are supposed to be part of the working community, so they’re seen as people who are taking other people’s jobs,” she said.
Dimate said Latinas are often stuck in jobs that pay under the table because they lack documentation. This accounts for the large pay gap because it means Latinas are not entitled to legal fair wages or benefits like social security.
