Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Tuesday marks Equal Pay Day in the U.S., which symbolizes how far into the year women in general must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. But for Latinas, this year's Equal Pay Day won't come until October, and for some specific groups, it will come even later.
Driving the news: Latinas working full time make 57 cents for every dollar a white non-Hispanic man earns. But recent data shows that a woman's country of origin also impacts the size of her wages.
By the numbers: Data from the National Women's Law Center found that Honduran women in the U.S. earn 44 cents for every dollar a white man earns.
- Guatemalan women earn 47 cents per dollar.
- Salvadoran women earn 49 cents per dollar.
- Mexican women earn 52 cents per dollar.
- Argentine, Chilean, and Panamanian women earn the most in the U.S., according to the data.
What they're saying: "I think companies could be doing better on the hiring front, they could be doing pay audits, they could be stepping back and allowing workers to unionize," says NWLC director of research Jasmine Tucker.
- "We need a multi-pronged approach to attack this," Tucker tells Axios.
- That includes passing the Fairness Paycheck Act, a bill first introduced in 1997 that would require employers to prove why pay disparities exist, prohibit them from asking about salary history, and be more transparent about how workers who feel they're underpaid can seek recourse, according to the 19th. The bill has repeatedly stalled in Congress largely due to Republican opposition.
- More states should adopt pay range transparency laws that require employers to include salary ranges in job postings, Tucker adds.
- "We're seeing some momentum there," Tucker says. "There's lots that we need to be doing."
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