Latina women make 62 cents for every dollar made by an average white male, according to the Department of Labor. This is one of the biggest factors limiting women from obtaining economic security for themselves and their families, according to a new Center for American Progress report. Adriana Kugler, chief economist to U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solís, says this is a loss not just for women, but for their families.
“Due to the wage gap, the average lifetime loss in salary for an American woman is $400,000, but for a Latina, the number goes up to $800,000,” says Dr. Kugler, a Colombian-American who is the first Latina Chief Economist at the Department of Labor. “Imagine what a Latina can do with that amount – buy a home, pay for children’s colleges – it’ s an impressive number.”
Four in ten working Latinas are now breadwinners in their families, double the rate since 1975. Economists such as Kugler worry that lower salaries due to the wage gap are a contributing factor in the high rates of poverty among Latino families. One quarter of Hispanic households are poor, and 33 percent of Latino children live in poverty. READ MORE
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