NewsNational News

Actions

Action companies can take to close the Latina wage gap

Latina
Posted

Hispanic Heritage month is a time when we celebrate the culture's many contributions, but it's also an important time to highlight the disparities that still exist.

According to Lean In CEO Rachel Thomas, for every $1 dollar men are paid in the United States today, Latinas are paid 52 cents. As a result, Latinas lose about $1 million in earnings over the course of their career.

Lean in is a women's empowerment organization that conducts a women in the workplace report every year.

The pay gap still exists if you peel away geography, education level, and industry. So Thomas says that leads one to believe bias is a big reason Latina women aren't being promoted.

One example is called accent bias.

"So this is an assumption that your English isn't as good or you're not as smart or capable because you have an accent, Thomas said. "Even when your English could be perfect and you are incredibly capable. And we know that accent bias has a particularly acute impact on Latina women."

To reduce bias in the workplace, Lean In created a resource called 50 Ways to Fight Bias.

It's a digital program available for free that can be presented as a workshop within a company with a moderator leading the presentation.

Another resource available for companies is called Allyship at Work.