Across the U.S., Latinas Are Opening Up About Salaries and Self-Worth as Justice for Migrant Women Reveals New Wage Gap Data

There are moments when numbers feel heavier than they look. Fifty-four cents to the dollar. That figure represents generations of Latinas who have worked twice as hard to earn half as much. It also represents every conversation I have with my Latina friends about our salaries. We do not speak in whispers. We sit together, coffee in hand, and trade the kind of information that once felt forbidden. Some of us are fairly compensated, others are still catching up, but we all share the same goal. We want each other to win.

The Weight of the Numbers According to Justice for Migrant Women

Justice for Migrant Women released a new report on the 10th anniversary of Latina Equal Pay Day, revealing that Latinas in the United States earn 54 cents for every dollar made by white, non-Hispanic men, including part-time and gig workers. The gap widens for those living in rural communities, who average 43 cents to the dollar due to limited infrastructure, childcare, and transportation. Guatemalan and Honduran Latinas face the sharpest disparity, earning about 29 cents to the dollar.

As Mónica Ramírez, founder and president of Justice for Migrant Women, explained, the campaign was built “to honor movement leaders, reflect on progress, and highlight the significant gaps that still affect migrant and rural Latinas.” Her words mirror the conversations I have with my own friends, where we take pride in small wins yet feel the weight of knowing that structural inequity still lingers. We sit across dining tables talking about promotions and pay bumps with the same candor our mothers once reserved for chisme. We dissect contracts, share strategies for negotiations, and remind one another that being paid fairly does not mean the fight is over. The point is never comfort. It is growth.

A Collective Push for Change On Latina Equal Pay Day and Beyond

The report confirms that education does not erase inequity. Latinas with professional degrees make 39 cents for every dollar earned by white men with similar credentials. The pattern cuts across industries: 70 cents for actors and directors, 76 for bartenders, 59 for executives, and 67 for those serving in legal or government roles. Even in unionized workforces, where protections are stronger, Latinas are still catching up, though they earn roughly 40 percent more than their nonunion counterparts.

Ramírez and her team point out that these gaps cannot be explained away by education or job choice. They reflect entrenched structures that undervalue women’s labor, especially that of immigrants and women of color. True progress, she argues, requires collective accountability, among policymakers, employers, and other workers, through transparency laws, enforcement of equal pay protections, and investment in family leave policies.

Among my circle, these conversations have turned into real exchanges. We talk about how to ask for raises, when to make a lateral move that becomes its own promotion, and which skills might open the next door. We remind each other that visibility is not vanity. It is merely strategy.

Conversations That Move Us Forward

Justice for Migrant Women’s advocacy has shaped national progress. The passage of the Pregnant Workers’ Fairness Act, as well as new state-level laws on paid leave and pay transparency, are part of that push toward equity. These policies give structure to what so many of us have been practicing informally: speaking up, comparing notes, and refusing to accept silence as a professional strategy.

The reality is that when we talk about our salaries, we are not competing. We are creating community. As Ramírez put it, “When Latinas are underpaid, the entire U.S. economy feels it.” Her statement rings in my head each time one of us hits send on a counteroffer email. Equality starts with these acts of transparency. Each time we speak up, we make the gap smaller for someone else.

Pay equity, after all, is not an abstract cause. It begins in rooms filled with women who believe that success is contagious when shared. It grows through laughter over coffee, through the steady confidence that we are no longer afraid to talk about money, and through the understanding that fairness begins with honesty. We can all be part of this, one paycheck, one friendship, and one future at a time.

Trabajando juntas, alcanzamos más.