With Christmas, New Year’s Eve and other holidays quickly approaching, many employees already have paid days off to spend with their families. But Latinos have far fewer paid vacation days than other ethnic or racial groups, according to a recent study by the Center for American Progress. Latinos also have the least access to paid sick days or parental leave.
While 64.7 percent of Asians, 60.4 percent of whites and 57.4 percent of blacks have paid leave available, 38.4 percent of Latinos enjoy the same benefit, according to a recent article on Huffington Post Latino.
According to the study, the disparity between races and their paid leave is due to “historical trends resulting from decades of institutionalized racism and the fact that workers of color are more likely than white workers to be employed in low-wage, low-quality jobs.” The study also opined, “for too many Latinos, being a good worker and a good family member has become mutually exclusive.”
The study bases its figures on this year’s Bureau of Labor Statistics’ American Time Use Survey. Latinos experience less flexibility at work in general, according to researchers, who wrote that “anyone who has ever gotten the flu, needed to stay home to care for a sick loved one, or welcomed a new child into their home should understand that there are times when employees cannot be at work — but too often that means losing a day’s pay.”