New Report Sheds Light on the Latina Leadership Gap

How often have we heard Latinas as one of the most important targets for sales campaigns? How many times have we been singled out for our ability to impact the marketplace? The answer is simple: countless times.

Although it seems that Latinas are now a demographic present in all market studies, we rarely read studies that orient us to our true leadership capabilities and the impact we can have at the big decision-making tables.

However, the Latinas and Power Corporation has something to say about that.

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In its new report, “The Latina Pathway to Excellence in a Post-Pandemic World,” launched this Women’s History Month, the organization has shed light on precisely that leadership gap, offering tools to open up opportunities for success.

Founded in 2004 by Marilyn Alverio, Latinas and Power is a global network that has reached more than 10,000 women across the United States through multiple platforms. Their new report is a true roadmap for change.

A Shift in Focus

Latinas and Power emphasizes the undervaluation of Latinas as a consumer target and representation in the media. While it is important to recognize the power of our community in these segments, the moniker “jefa of the household” leaves out other aspects of Latinas’ work reality.

Few are aware that Latinas are a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. workforce, now the largest group of working women behind non-Hispanic whites.

At more than 12 million, Latinas represent 16% of the female workforce in the country.

However, the pandemic has forever changed the employment outlook for these women.

As the Latinas and Power report found, the women interviewed agreed that the pandemic and the social injustices of the past two years have altered the visibility of Latinas in the workforce and, at the same time, forced them to develop a “reliance on the virtual world” when it comes to opening new career paths.

Making your voice heard

The report also highlighted how many Latinas have taken advantage of the past few years to network and create new connections with community leaders that allowed them to talk about their projects, promote their actions and make their voices heard.

“Executive-level Latinas and corporate board directors reported that Latinas had ‘faded into the background’ during the pandemic,” the report reads. “Not being seen and not being in the public forum has been detrimental to Latinas in general. They emphasized the importance of Latinas learning to promote their distinct qualities and to take risks to pursue new projects. They reported a need for skill development as a tool for upward mobility within their organizations and a springboard for seeking opportunities with other organizations.”

While “social anxiety” has been a significant consequence of the pandemic, this period has also given Latinas the time for reflection and introspection needed to know and understand their position in today’s America.

Enter the virtual world.

The “virtualization” of work-life allowed, in a sense, “authenticity in the business world” for many women entrepreneurs, the development of new strategies, and the improvement of their organizational skills.

This is why so many Latinas decided to leave the working world and make a path of their own, especially in non-profit work, with an eye toward giving back to their community and advocating for and supporting their gente.

To read the “The Latina Pathway to Excellence in a Post-Pandemic World” report in depth, click here.