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Hispanic Women May Have to Wait 232 Years for Wage Equality

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November 1 is Latina Equal Pay Day, which marks the day in the calendar year that Hispanic women have earned as much as white men did in the previous year. In other words, it takes Latina women approximately one year and 10 months to earn what most white men earn in a year. And according to a new analysis from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research, Hispanic and Latina women will have to wait 232 more years for their earnings to catch up to white men if current trends continue.

By comparison, women in general are expected to close the wage gap in 2059. According to the analysis, white women are expected to close the wage gap in 2056, while black women will not see wage equality until 2124. Hispanic women are not projected to achieve equal pay until 2248.

The report also found that wages for Hispanic women has declined with median annual earnings falling by 4.5% between 2004 and 2014. Only five states saw wages increase for Hispanic women — California, Iowa, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming — along with the District of Columbia.

This new data illustrates how Hispanic women continue to be the most adversely affected by the wage gap. According to the latest numbers from the Pew Research Center, Hispanic women were the lowest paid group in the United States in 2015, earning $12 an hour on average. Black women made $13 an hour in 2015, while white women earned $17 per hour and Asian women earned $18 per hour. By comparison, white men made $21 per hour in 2015.

Even more depressing: the wage gap is closing at slower and slower rates over time. A recent report from the American Association of University Women suggests that if rates continue to slow, the average woman might not see equal pay for another 136 years. And if that plays out, odds are that minority women will be waiting even longer for that gap to close.

 

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