Gender wage gap even wider for Latinas in California, data shows

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A Latina Equal Pay Day event in Los Angeles Thursday raised awareness on the large gap in wages between California Latinas and white men.

Women at the conference at UCLA put their collective minds together on how to close the wage gap between Latinas and white males.

Latina Equal Pay Day, which is commemorated on Oct. 5, is the symbolic day when Hispanic and Latina women's earnings "catch up" to their counterparts in the workforce.

Latinas in California, on average, make 40 cents on the dollar compared to white men, according to data provided by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center/UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute and the Equal Rights Advocates.

That's more than 10 cents less than the national average. According to the data, Latinas are paid 52 cents on the dollar when compared to white men.

One of the reasons for that is discrimination, according to the group Equal Rights Advocates.

"Latinas face double discrimination based on both gender and race," said attorney Jessica Ramey Stender, with Equal Rights Advocates. "So a lot of the issues that we see that rise and cause the wage gap are around discrimination, a lack of access to adequate supports in the workplace."

Women who spoke with Eyewitness News say they agree with the numbers, adding that it's frustrating that they're making less than their male counterparts.

"I just don't know how we fix it," Long Beach resident Maria Alonzo said. "Without us being able to get in there and show that we can do it and prove ourselves, we're very limited."

There's currently legislation on the governor's desk that if it becomes law, it's illegal to retaliate when someone complains about a wage gap based on gender.

Woman who spoke with Eyewitness News said another solution is having more women in leadership positions.

"I feel like we're outnumbered," Torrance resident Tyra Taylor said. "So that kind of also plays a big part on why there's not many opportunities for women, as well as not many women in leadership."

City News Service contributed to this report.