Latina Equal Pay Day 2025

Notes from the Author:

I am proud to lead the 2025 Latina Equal Pay Day Campaign for the second year in a row. This day is deeply personal to me, not just because I’m a first-generation Latina, but because I grew up hearing phrases like “calladita te ves más bonita,” which translates to “, you look prettier sitting quiet.”

In my upbringing, traditional roles often meant women were not expected or even allowed to work, let alone speak up for their worth. But I have always been outspoken. I have always known that I am bonita y nunca calladita, pretty and never quiet, and that’s exactly what this campaign is about.

Latina Equal Pay Day is more than a hashtag; it's about educating, empowering, and taking action. It’s about sharing information that helps Latinas advocate for themselves, whether to negotiate fair pay, support legislation that fights wage inequality, uplift women-owned businesses, or spark change. Together, we can be the spark that illuminates the path toward pay equity not just for Latinas, but for all women. I, along with our special collaborators, Director Brittany Gregory and Eliza Craig at the Washington State Women’s Commission, invite you to to join us in continuing to push forward, raise our voices, and work toward a future where equal work truly means equal pay.

For more information on Latina Equal Pay Day visit cha.wa.gov

            ~Esmeralda Garibay

Why does Latina Equal Pay Day Matter?

Every fall, we pause to recognize Latina Equal Pay Day. It is not a celebration, but a reminder of how far Latinas must work into the next year just to match what white, non-Hispanic men earned the year before. In 2025, this day falls on October 8, marking the point where Latinas will have worked nearly 11 extra months for the same yearly salary earned by a white non-hispanic male within 12 months in 2024.

Latinas are at the heart of our families, our neighborhoods, and our state’s economy. They are teachers, nurses, small business owners, scientists, farm workers, caregivers, and leaders. Yet, on average,  a Latina earns just $0.52 on the dollar. That difference adds up to more than $1 million in lost wages over a lifetime, money that could help pay for a home, send a child to college, or build retirement security (National Women’s Law Center, 2024). And in Washington state, the average is worse, at $0.45 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men (Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2023)

Why the Gap Exists

The pay gap is not reflective of individual choices, rather a sum of barriers that have existed for generations. Even as Latinas break  barriers in higher education and professional fields, the numbers reveal a troubling reality: progress does not always equate to fairness.

  • Occupational Segregation: Too many Latinas are funneled into low-paying industries like caregiving, retail, and hospitality, where opportunities for advancement are limited (National Women’s Law Center, 2024).

  • Educational Disparities: While Latinas are earning degrees in record numbers, they remain underrepresented in high-paying fields such as technology, law, and engineering. And even with the same education, Latinas are still paid less (Pew Research Center, 2024)

  • Discrimination and Bias: From hiring to promotions, bias continues to undervalue Latina talent. Latina nurses, for instance, earn about 25% less than white male nurses (AP News, 2023)

  • Limited Career Advancement: Latinas hold only a small fraction of leadership positions in corporate America, making up only 1% of C-suite executives (LeanIn.org).

  • Cultural and Caregiving Expectations: Many Latinas juggle work with caregiving responsibilities. Social expectations often discourage negotiating salaries or prioritizing career growth, while employers may wrongly assume family commitments mean less dedication to the job (Pew Research Center, 2024).

Why It Matters for Everyone

When Latinas are underpaid, entire families and communities lose. Lower earnings affect access to safe housing, quality healthcare, and opportunities for children (National Women’s Law Center, 2025). For Washington, when Latinas earn less, there is less money flowing into local businesses, schools, and services. This is not only a Latina issue.

Resilience and Progress

Despite barriers, Latinas continue to rise. They are the fastest-growing group of women entrepreneurs in the United States (Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, February, 2023). More Latinas are enrolling in college than ever before (UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, 2024). Across industries, Latinas bring innovation, leadership, and cultural strength that benefits us all. The resilience of our community is undeniable, but resilience alone cannot close the gap.

What We Can Do

Closing the wage gap requires both systemic change and everyday action. We can:

  • Expand access to paid family leave and affordable childcare

  • Ensure more Latinas have pathways to leadership roles

  • Support Latina-owned businesses and entrepreneurship

  • Encourage young Latinas to negotiate salaries and see themselves as leaders

  • Speak out against discrimination in workplaces

Every step we take helps create a future where Latina’s paycheck reflects her talent, not her identity.

Sources

CHA Washington