Pay Equity for Latina Moms Means Protecting Pregnant & Postpartum Workers! TAKE ACTION

Dear Friend,

On Latina Equal Pay Day, can you help us close the gender wage gap by sending a timely note to the U.S. Senate?

It’s long past time to close the wage gap: Studies show that all women, regardless of occupation, geography, age, race, nationality, and education still (in 2022!!) face sexism, racism, discrimination and bias at work – and that women of color are disproportionately impacted by workplace injustice. In fact, due to structural racism, xenophobia, maternal discrimination, and especially occupational segregation, Latinas are over-represented in low-wage work in the United States and face unfair, extreme wage discrimination.

Latinas are pervasively shortchanged on wages and salaries regardless of their field of work, age, or education – and it’s part of the reason the average Latina’s net worth is less than 1% of the average white man’s. [1] 

It doesn’t have to be this way. Push the U.S. Senate to take action.

The wage gap is not about a single paycheck, but about the cumulative economic loss that impacts an entire community. Over the course of the average Latina’s career, the lost income adds up to over a million dollars compared to white men! 

That’s right, ONE 👏🏼 MILLION 👏🏽 DOLLARS 👏🏿!

Latina Equal Pay Day – today – marks the day that Latinas must work, to earn what white men were paid in 2021 alone. That’s nearly TWENTY THREE months of work and equates to earning 54 cents for every $1 paid to white men. [2] For Latina moms, it’s just 47 cents because caregivers typically face additional wage discrimination and barriers to employment. [3]

This is NOT okay. When Latina moms have to work nearly 23 months to earn what white dads earn in 12, they miss out on key opportunities to build wealth and future economic security for themselves and their families. [2] Many cannot save enough to afford a down payment on a home, cannot afford to pay for their own or a child’s higher education, cannot start a business or save for retirement.

So, how do we fix it? The wage gap is driven by multiple factors, therefore we need multiple policy solutions to address it. One of those solutions is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in the Spring of 2021, would guarantee pregnant and postpartum workers nationwide, access to the accommodations they need to maintain healthy pregnancies without risking being pushed off the job and out of the workforce. [4]

Now we need the U.S. Senate to deliver for pregnant workers! Click here to put the pressure on them to do just that! 

Pregnancy discrimination affects women across race and ethnicity, but women of color and immigrants are particularly at risk. Latinas, Black, and immigrant women are more likely to hold jobs that are physically demanding and less likely to provide necessary accommodations, making work challenging for pregnant workers. [5] Over 60 percent of pregnant Latinas were employed in the year they were pregnant, [4] and none of them should be pushed out of a job because they required reasonable workplace accommodations. 

That is why this Latina Equal Pay Day, we need the U.S. Senate to deliver for women and families by passing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act!

Pay equity for Latinas and their families, means protecting pregnant and postpartum workers!

>>> Click HERE to mark Latina Equal Pay Day with legislative ACTION!

Thank you for all that you do!

Together, we’re a powerful force for economic justice.

- Xochitl, Taylor, Linda, Ruth, Claudia, Kristin, and the whole MomsRising.org/MamásConPoder Team

References:

[1] Latinas aren't paid fairly—and that's just the tip of the iceberg
[2] Latinas Lose Nearly $1.2 Million to the Sexist and Racist Wage Gap
[3] The Wage Gap Shortchanges Mothers
[4] Discrimination While Pregnant
[5] The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time.