By Tanya Tarr
Mariposa’s experience and advice couldn’t be more relevant on Equal Pay Day for Latinas. On average, Latinas make $0.54 for every $1 that her white male counterpart made in 2017, represented in time by the date of November 1, 2018. Research organizations like the Institute for Women’s Policy Research forecast that it will take until 2224 for Latinas to get to full equal pay. Latinas are also the racial group that often experiences the largest and most persistent gender pay gap when compared to women of other races. For Latinas, the wage gap has only narrowed $0.02 in the last decade.
These facts don’t dictate every Latina’s destiny. Mariposa credits beating the gender pay gap by being entrepreneurial from the very beginning of her career. She also believes in the power of taking business financing into her own hands. La Botanica started as a successful crowd-funded venture and three years later, it’s an award-winning restaurant. Mariposa’s approach to negotiating success is a large part of why this unconventional business is thriving in an unexpected place. Let’s find out how she did it.
