The end of the year is quickly approaching as Tuesday marked the first day of November; this means there are only two more months until 2016 is over. Let that sink in. November 1st was not only the beginning of our panic over the looming end of the year, but it was also officially known as Latina Equal Pay Day. This day raises awareness to the absurdly large wage gap between Latinas and white men. This date was not chosen accidentally; November 1st represents the amount of time it takes for a Latina to earn the same amount of money that a white male earns from the previous year. To put it in simpler terms, it takes a Latina 22 months to earn the same amount of money that a white man earns in 12 months, FOR THE SAME JOB. That’s nearly double the time! Unfortunately, Latinas experience the largest wage gap between all men or women.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research released information saying that a Latina woman earns around 54 cents for every dollar that a white male earns. The median earning for a full time, year-round employed Hispanic woman dropped 4.5 percent annually since 2004 (this is about triple the amount of women’s overall earning which dropped by 1.6 percent). I pray to god this doesn’t, but if this continues, Latinas will have to wait 232 years for equal pay. Latinas will have to wait until 2248 for equal pay. My great great great grandchildren probably won’t even be alive then. Talk about progress.
It’s no secret that the issue of equal pay has been a hot topic, especially during this election period. However, it’s also important to keep in mind how much harder, not only women, but women of color must work to make the same amount of money as a white man. But don’t get me wrong, women of color and frankly all women are strong enough to work harder to gain equality. We’ve done it from time to time again- just look at Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dolores Huerta, Malala Yousafzai, Frida Kahlo, need I say more? It’s not a problem of work ethic, determination, or motivation that hinders the progress in wage equality, but rather the blatant sexual and racial discrimination women of color must face whether on an institutional or more personal level. But usually both.
Bernie Sanders along with Secretary Hilary Clinton, The White House, and many others took to Twitter to help raise awareness about Latina Equal Pay Day using #LatinaEqualPayDay.
However, these tweets were also accompanied with some tweets that blame Latinas themselves for the unequal pay wage. As if this problem has nothing to do wth the institution as a whole. Ironically enough, most of the people refuting the concept of unequal pay were also women. And to think that all women would be on the same side about having equal pay FOR THE SAME JOBS. The common misconception with this issue is that people who don’t believe that the wage gap is a real thing (kind of like not believing that the sky is blue) don’t understand the issue. A tweeter who was not so fond of #LatinaEqualPayDay wrote:
So that’s that… Just to be clear, Latina Equal Pay Day is not a day where Latinas just ask for hand outs or a donation. I just don’t want to, nor should I, wait until 2248 to receive the same amount of money for the same exact job as a white male. Simply because I, a Latina, deserve it. I deserve justice and equity. I don’t and won’t ask for a handout. I can and will work for my own success. But I will not sit by and endure 232 years of working almost twice the amount of time to make the same amount of money for the same job as a white man.