Washington, DC — New research released by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) for Latina Equal Pay Day shows a continued large wage gap for Latina workers.
Latina Equal Pay Day marks how many days into 2020 Latinas had to work to reach pay parity with White men’s 2019 earnings. In 2019, the average Latina earned only 55.4 percent of White non-Latino men’s earnings, equivalent to $29,098 less for a year of full-time work.
IWPR’s fact sheet provides a state-by-state analysis of the wage gap for Latina workers and finds that in all but one state, Latinas’ median annual earnings for full-time work leave a family with one adult and two children “near poverty.” This has serious implications for their economic security, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when nearly 60 percent of Latino households have experienced a loss of income, more than any other racial or ethnic group.
Report Highlights
- Based on the current rate of progress, Latinas are not projected to reach equal pay with White non-Latino men for another 200 years, or until 2220.
- Latinas face the largest earning disparity with White non-Latino men in the states with the largest Latina populations.
- Latinas are especially vulnerable to health hazards and loss of income as a consequence of the pandemic; they have the lowest health insurance coverage rate of any racial or ethnic group and the lowest likelihood of having paid time off.
