Latinas stand to lose more than $1.2 million over their careers due to the pay gap — and for Latinas with college degrees, that gap is even wider.
Latinas have to earn at least a master’s degree to be paid more than white, non-Hispanic men who have just an associate’s degree, according to a new analysis by the National Women’s Law Center.
In 2022, Latinas working full time were paid approximately 57 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, the NWLC reports.
The ongoing pay disparity that Latinas face has hardly budged within the last 34 years. In 1989, Latinas working full-time were paid just 52 cents for every dollar paid to white men — which means that the Latina pay gap has only narrowed by pennies every decade since.
For many, the wage gap starts as early as the job search.
Priscilla Guasso spent nearly 20 years working in human resources — and no matter where she worked, she noticed the same pattern repeated itself: Latinas almost never asked for higher starting salaries or negotiated their job offers.
“In Latino culture, there’s a strong emphasis on respect for authority figures, so when you’re starting out in your career, it’s difficult to speak up, even if you feel you’re being underpaid,” Guasso, 40, explains.
In some cases, Guasso says she’s seen Latinas leave “$10,000-$50,000 on the table” by not negotiating their initial offer.
Many Latinas start at a deficit when it comes to their earning power, explains Anyelis Cordero, a leadership coach and HR consultant, because they are first-generation college graduates and don’t have close mentors to coach them through salary negotiations.
Latinos are more likely to be first-generation college students than any other racial or ethnic group — and, what’s more, research shows that first-generation college graduates are more likely to accept offers that pay less than their peers.
