Texas Latinas lose $1.7 million in lifetime earnings due to pay gap
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Latinas in Texas lose an average of $1.7 million in lifetime earnings due to the state's wage gap — among the nation's worst, per the National Women's Law Center (NWLC).
Why it matters: Wednesday's Latina Equal Pay Day underscores the limits on savings, wealth-building and basic financial stability for Latinas — who must work nearly 22 months to match what white, non-Hispanic men earn in one year.
Context: Equal Pay Day, which highlights the wage gap between men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, is March 25. The October date for Latinas illustrates just how much wider the gap is between them and white men.
The big picture: Latinas in Texas experience among the highest in lifetime losses and among the lowest annual pay, according to an analysis based on Census Bureau data.
Reality check: Education doesn't close the gap. Latinas with bachelor's degrees earn $57,000 — less than white men with some college ($60,000).
- Those with professional degrees make just 55 cents per $1 earned by white men with the same education, a $70,000 annual loss, per NWLC.
- And while the Latino GDP is fueling national growth, Latina wages remain stagnant.
Between the lines: All states must follow federal equal pay laws, and Texas also bans pay discrimination through its Human Rights Commission Act. But it lacks the pay transparency laws adopted elsewhere that require employers to disclose salaries or review pay practices.
Zoom out: Nationally, Latinas earn 58 cents for every dollar paid to white men — a figure that's barely moved in recent years, says Jasmine Tucker, vice president for research at NWLC.
What they're saying: Tucker says systemic change — including stronger federal and state policies — is needed, but the problem also starts long before Latinas enter the workforce.
- "Some of this starts at an early age, where women are sort of pushed out of STEM fields and right into more care work," she says.
- "The Latina wage gap speaks to the undervaluing of the work these women bring."
Zoom in: Adriana Rocha Garcia, former District 4 councilmember and now president and CEO of the Center for Health Empowerment in South Texas, tells Axios local groups like the Latina Leadership Institute and the Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women made progress advancing pay equity during her tenure.
- She says the Girl's Empowerment Summit helps teens explore high-paying, nontraditional careers, echoing Tucker's point about early exposure.
Yes, but: Barriers like disproportionate caregiving responsibilities affect womens' careers and advancement to leadership roles, she says.
The bottom line: "We need to just remind one another that we are supposed to be there — and that we are supposed to be paid equal," she says.
What we're watching: The advocacy group Equal Pay Today is leading a social media campaign Wednesday using #LatinaEqualPay and #Trabajadoras.