By JoAnn Chavez and Monica Reyes
October 21 is considered Latina Equal Pay Day. It’s not exactly an honor. Latina Equal Pay Day is the last of several commemorative days marking the ongoing wage gaps for women in the United States — and represents how far into 2021 the average Latina must work to earn what men were paid in 2020.
According to the National Women’s Law Center, U.S. women overall who work full-time, year-round were typically paid 83 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts in 2020. Based on a recent report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women’s earnings overall in the U.S. will not reach men’s earnings until 2059. Latinas face a far greater disparity, making only 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men — and Latinas will not reach men’s earning until 2220, nearly 200 years from now.
