Yesterday, November 2, marked Latina Equal Pay Day - or the day in 2017 when on average Hispanic women in the U.S. earned enough to equal the pay of American non-hispanic white men in 2016. Eva Longoria explains it below:
Latina Equal Pay Day, the day when the amount the average Latina is paid catches up to what the average white man made the previous year. In other words: In order to earn what a white man earned in 2016, a Latina must work that entire year—plus 10 extra months in 2017. - Eva Longoria - Fortune.comThis ten month gap makes Latinas the lowest paid demographic in the United States at only $0.54 to the dollar earned by white men.
Given the importance of Latinas to the well being of our communities, the present state of our families, the upbringing of our children, and the very economic stability of our communities, Latino men must recognize the need for a change.
To be clear, this is not primarily a White vs Latino issue, many Latinas are employed by Latinos who could care very little to do right by their communities. Latino men must take equal responsibility for this gender gap, for its existence and for finding a solution out of it.
Eva Longoria, the Mexican-American actress from Texas has been speaking on issues of Latina rights for years, and its time more people paid attention.
Her letter, published by Fortune.com, was intended to raise awareness among business leaders, but everyone needs a little more awareness on this issue.
Eva Longoria speaks on equal pay for all women in April of 2017:
