Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement on Latina Equal Pay Day
October 21, 2021
CONTACT: Michelle Moreno-Silva
Washington, D.C. – Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Lois Frankel (FL-21), Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), and Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on Latina Equal Pay Day.
“Today marks Latina Equal Pay Day, a disappointing reminder that Latinas have to work 10 months longer into the current year to earn what non-Hispanic white men made in the previous year,” said the Members. “While Latinas do the work that our country desperately relies on to keep moving, especially in caregiving and amid the pandemic, they continue to face the largest wage gap among all racial and ethnic groups. According to a recent report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, women’s earnings overall in the U.S. will not equal that of men’s earnings until 2059. Latinas, however, face a more jarring disparity, making only 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. That means Latinas will not reach men’s earnings until 2206, nearly 200 years from now. This is unconscionable. This injustice is harming their financial stability and our economic growth as a country, and it is our duty to help level the playing field for Latinas by investing in our care economy and raising wages through the Build Back Better Act. We also urgently call on Senate Republicans to stop their obstructionism and pass H.R. 7, the Paycheck Fairness Act to end unequal pay for equal work for Latinas and all women.”
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