Even in the 21st century, women in developed countries such as the United States continue to face workplace discrimination and challenges. Latino and African- American women, who form the largest part of the U.S’ workforce, encounter the highest rates of unemployment and poverty compared to Asian and White women employees.
Other than earning less than the majority of other women, Latino women also earn less compared to their male counterparts. Although they play a major role in the American economy, they still face hurdles when it comes to full participation in the marketplace and the workplace. As such, there exists a disparity between Latino women in the workforce and other groups in the American labor sector.
The paper explores Latino women in the workforce and the discrimination they face. Also, it discusses Latino women working for low wages and the opportunities they encounter as part of the U.S workforce. Latino women in the workforce are discriminated against and work for low wages compared to White and Asian working women.
Latino women in the workforce
Generally, women in the United States continue to face higher levels of unemployment and participation in the workplace. A report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released in March 2012 indicates that the unemployment rate for Hispanic/Latino women in 2010 was 10 percent (Restrepo 1). This is indicative of the challenges encountered by Latino women in the U.S labor market.
According to the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) 2012 report, it was established that between 2007 and 2010, the unemployment rates of Latinos doubled from 6.1 percent to 12.3 percent.
The report by the Labour Council states that “in 2010, there were 8,106,000 million Latinas that represented 5.8% of the total U.S. labor force. As a share of women in the U.S. work-force, 12.8% are women of Latino ethnicity” (Sanchez et al. 18). The implication made is that 12.8% of the 8,106,000 million Latino’s workforce in the U.S is made up of Latino women.
Compared to the other groups in the U.S population, Latino women have the lowest employment representation in the labor market. For example, white women “hold the highest employment to population ratio (55.6%), followed by blacks (55.1%) and Asians (55.0%), with Latinas falling behind at 52.7%” (Sanchez et al. 18). As such, Latino women fall behind all other women groups in terms of employment to population ratio.
Other findings show that Latino women have over the years been ranked last compared to Asian, black, and black women in terms of force participation. For instance, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) 2012 report, established that Latino women had the highest labor force participation rate (56.5%), followed by Asian (57%), white (58.5%), and black women the highest with (59.9%) (Sanchez et al. 18).
Latino Women and Discrimination
Discrimination, as supported by its different manifestation in the U.S workplace, has been a major challenge faced in the labor industry. Women (inclusive of Latino women) are largely discriminated against in the workplace based on gender, ethnicity, and race. Women are also discriminated against in the workplace through wage discrimination and position in the workplace (Wall & Reed 1).
For example, compared to Asian, black, and white women in the U.S workplace, Latino women have over the years earned the lowest salary and held lower positions in the workplace (Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino 11).
This is supported by Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) 2012 report, which shows that Latina women are misrepresented in professionals and management ranks and occupations compared to Asian, black, and white women (Sanchez et al. 34).
In terms of race and ethnicity discrimination, Latino women earn fewer wages and salary. Lastly, consumers and other employees in the workplace tend to discriminate Latino women because they belong to another race.
Latino Women and Low Wages
Women, in general, earn a low wage for the same job compared to men in the U.S. Additionally, in the low-wage industries, Latinos are overrepresented. A report released by the LCLAA in 2012 indicates that “in 2010, Women of Latino ethnicity earned $508 in median weekly earnings, compared to their African-American ($592), white ($684), and Asian ($773) counterparts” (Sanchez et al.15).
These findings support the proposition that Latino women earn low wages compared to the African-American, white, and Asian women in the U.S workforce. Other than earning low weekly wages, Latino women “only earn a meager 60 cents for every dollar earned by a white man, representing the largest wage gap of any other group of working women” (Restrepo 1).
The implication made by these statistics is that Latino women work for low wages in the U.S labor market, which is an indication of wage discrimination and pay disparity. Despite efforts by the U.S government to close the wage gap as a result of gender and race discrimination in the labor market, Latino women continue to earn low wages (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 6).
For this reason, Latino women have remained at the bottom of the wage bracket and continue to experience the biggest wage gap. As such, the gender and race wage gap signifies that working Latino women are paid low wages for work done.
Latino women and opportunities
The challenges faced by Latino women in the workforce will be minimized to create opportunities in the future. For example, campaigns have been carried to ensure Equal Employment Opportunity in the U.S workforce is fully implemented (The White House Council on Women and Girls 45). This means that the wage gap will soon be narrowed as the pay among Latino women shall be increased.
It also means that emphasis is being made to ensure that Latino women hold higher paying jobs and ranks in upper management and professional levels (Lowen 1). Additionally, more women are expected to join the workforce, thus reducing the level of unemployment, poverty, and discrimination faced by Latino women.
The report, “Keeping America’s Women Moving Forward” is geared towards the elimination of workplace advancement and employment barriers for Latino women in the U.S labor market.
Therefore, efforts are being made to ensure that Latino women do not remain underrepresented in specialty and managerial professions. Additionally, through educational programs being provided by the U.S government, Latino women will no longer be overrepresented in low wage bracket compared to the other women counterparts.
Conclusion
Latino women in the workforce are discriminated against and work for low wages. Compared with the other groups in the U.S population, Latino women have the lowest employment representation in the labor market. In terms of race and ethnicity discrimination, Latino women earn less than other groups.
The report has shown that Latino women earn low wages compared to African-American, white, and Asian women in the U.S workplace. The future looks bright for the Latino women workforce as different programs have been developed to promote Equal Employment Opportunity and ensure that are no longer overrepresented in low wage bracket.
Works Cited
Lowen, Linda. Gender Wage Gap Statistics – Facts Reveal Women Earn Less Than Men: Percentage of Women’s Earnings By Age, Race, Education, Marital Status. 2012. Web.
Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino. Barriers to the Employment and Work-Place Advancement of Latinos. University of Massachusetts, 1994. Print.
Restrepo, Marcos. “Women continue to face workplace challenges and discrimination.” The Colorado Independent, 2012: 1. Print.
Sanchez, Hector E., Andrea L. Delgado., Diana Villa., Ian Paul Fetterolf, and Juan Sebastian Velasquez. Trabajadoras: Challenges and Conditions Latina Workers in the United States. The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement PDF file. 2013. Web.
The White House Council on Women and Girls. Keeping America’s Women Moving Forward: the White House Council on Women and Girls. PDF file. 2013. Web.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Highlights of Women’s Earnings in 2010. PDF file. 2013. Web.
Wall, Howard J and Alyson Reed. “How much of the Gender Wage Gap is due to Discrimination?” The Regional Economist 2001: 1. Print.