Activating on Latina Equal Pay Day

We are right in the middle of Latinx Heritage Month — a time when we celebrate the incredible culture, resilience, and economic contributions of our community across the nation. But as we honor our heritage this month, we are also marking Latina Equal Pay Day.

Latina Equal Pay Day is a day to activate, not celebrate because it marks the day in 2026 that we collectively raise our voices against the punitive wage gap faced by Latinas!

You know the numbers, we share them every year — as we’re calling on our elected officials to do something, anything, to support pay equity for Latinas, our families, and our communities. But what you may not know are the stories of the very real women who experience the gender and racial wage gap in real life. Let me introduce you to Catalina, a worker and mama of two:

“In my job, I was paid $10 an hour less than my white, male colleague, despite performing the same responsibilities and me generating sales four times higher than my colleague.”

Catalina’s story highlights the problem. On average, Latina workers are paid just 53 cents for every dollar paid to white men. [1] For Latina moms, it is even worse. They get just 41 cents for every dollar paid to white dads. [2] How can families buy what they need when Latinas are underpaid? They can’t!

Support the Paycheck Fairness Act

That’s why we’re calling on Congress to support and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!

Here is what you'll be signing onto:

Dear Representative Eli Crane and Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego:

I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor and support the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Equal pay is a matter of basic fairness and economic security: Latina workers are paid, on average, just 53 cents for every dollar paid to white men. For Latina moms, the gap is even wider at 41 cents on the dollar. Over a career, this pay gap costs Latinas more than $1.4 million in lost earnings; and our economy as a whole loses out as well.

The Paycheck Fairness Act will establish clear standards for pay fairness by:

• Stopping employers from using past wage history to set current pay.
• Protecting workers from retaliation when they discuss their pay with coworkers.
• Requiring legitimate, job-related business reasons for pay differences.
• Giving workers stronger legal tools to challenge wage discrimination.

Our families, local economies, and communities cannot afford to wait any longer. Please champion working women and families by supporting and voting YES on the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Support Latinas today by urging Congress to support and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!

More Than One Paycheck: The Impact on Families

But I want to make it crystal clear: This is about more than one paycheck. Because of the pay gap, the average Latina worker loses more than $33,300 every year! [4] That is money that could pay for groceries, child care, medication, education or rent. Over a full career, that adds up to more than $1.4 million lost! [5] Our families, communities, and economy cannot afford to keep losing this money.

So we need your help: Tell Congress to support and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!

References

[1] Gender and Racial Wage Gap for Latinas Worsened in 2025 — Institute for Women’s Policy Research
[2] Motherhood Wage Gap for Latina Mothers — National Women's Law Center
[3][4] US Gender Wage Gap Narrows, But Black and Latina Women Are Still Being Left Behind — Fair Play Talks