It’s common knowledge that women in the U.S. makes about three quarters the amount men do for performing the same job. However, the monetary loss is even more significant for Hispanic women, NBC Latino reported.
On average, white women make about 77 cents to every dollar a man makes, whereas a Latina woman only makes 55 cents. According to a new study, minimum wage pay could be directly connected to the significant gap in wages.
Despite the fact that the federally mandated minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, a new study by the National Women’s Law Center found that states that offer higher than the set minimum wage have a narrower wage gap.
“As we are embarking on the 50th anniversary of equal pay, women are making 77 cents to the dollar,” said Pat Shiu, director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the Labor Department and a member of the White House Equal Pay Task Force. “When it comes to the pay gap for Latinas, it’s 55 cents and that means it’s taken this long to get where other women were 50 years ago.”
According to Shiu, Latina women will lose about $23,290 per year due to the wage disparity. This is approximately $6,000 more than the average woman. In the span of a lifetime, that’s about $845, 000.
“When you consider that cost to her family and her community – it’s astounding,” Shiu said. “It is a family issue and a community issue.”
(Photo by mrJVTodd via Flickr)