December 8, 2022 was Latina Equal Payday. If you’re not familiar with Equal Payday, well back in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was passed that requires that men and women in the same workplace be given equal pay for equal work. Sounds simple right?

Well, then we have to add the intricacies of identity that exist in the United States. Because of intersectionality and the incredible work of organizations dedicated to bridge the wage gap and bring equity in the workplace, we have been able to see the data closely.

The data is compared to the default white male. When the default white male makes $1 at the end of 2021, AANHPI women make $0.71, Black Women make $0.64, Native and Indigenous Women make $0.51, Latina Women make $0.54 which means I would have to wait until December 8th to make $1.

To put it in perspective, what the default white male makes by the end of December 31, 2021, I would have to keep working until the following December 8, 2022. So, him working 365 days would require me to work 706 days to make the same amount of money.

Now, to clarify, this has nothing to do with the default white man and I think this is where things get lost in translation. Looking at the data intrinsically simply allow us to see things as they are. Without judging the humans that won, but to let us build in ways that all humans win.

And if reading this rubs you a certain way, this is a great time to explore your own internal biases. It’s a great exercise of reflection and self-growth. It’s awareness signals our bodies give us when things just don’t seem right for us. It’s an invitation to approach things with curiosity and wonder. What if you were to look at things from the lens of the immigrant woman who made your tacos for lunch? Or the single mom that was in front of you at the coffee shop trying to console her crying toddler while she dug in her messy purse trying to find her card to pay? What if you gave yourself permission to step in their shoes even for a little bit?

I believe Equal Paydays, especially Latina Equal Payday is more than an invitation to have a conversation. It’s more than posting on social media (even though I did, because, uh algorithm).

It’s more than a cry for help…

Latina Equal Payday is about:

• Nurturing your inner niña, figuring out how she feels seen, how would she want to be loved, how her voice is listened to and supported. Allowing yourself to place your mental health at the forefront, because we don’t “just get over it” and cleaning the house doesn’t fix feelings. Also, feelings does not equal lazy. I know, a hard concept to grasp after hearing abuela telling you this all your life. I feel you.

• Finding your voice with models who have done it. Believe me, they exist. You just have to be open to finding them, even if you never meet them IRL.

• Supporting Latina-owned businesses, but more than the service provider you see online. It’s stopping at the corner street vendor and getting flowers from the local florista and tipping your servers more than 18% (if you can of course), and for the love of Gordon Ramsey, at least pile and consolidate your empty plates, your server and buzzer will thank you.

• Celebrating other Latina accomplishments. Creating space for all to win because there’s room for everyone, and you know Latines know how to make a family of 8 in fit a one-bedroom apartment, so there’s definitely room for all of us. We like it cozy.

• Healing your money story, because we won’t ask for more until we clear the belief that we don’t deserve it. Giving yourself permission to release the bad decisions, the lack of knowledge (and savings account), and the fact that you only learned to balance your checkbook in your 30s. Understanding you work with what you got and celebrating look how far you’ve come!

• Learning how to ask for help. Being strong and independent is also a synonym of being a good delegator. When we understand our strengths, we can find other people who love what we strongly dislike doing. Ask me about the last time I edited my podcast? I’m just not the person to do that, so I pay for someone who loves doing it. Am I less important for it? No, I am actually now able to support my clients better because I’m not bogged down editing audio waves and equalizing decibels, like what does that even mean?

• Checking on your capacity and if you have overflow, asking those with little ones if they need support. My sister recently needed a night out with her girlfriends and I stayed with my niece and nephew because I can always have a night out, my dog can watch himself. I’m working on being the best tia I needed. Remember that giving doesn’t always equal money, it could be time, resources, or listening.

• Asking your company to provide or create an initiative for creating a more equitable workplace. Invite your boss to read the report done by Time’s Up Foundation on Using Behavioral Design to Create More Equitable Companies. Challenge the conversation and build allyships to raise your voices in the workplace.

• If you are a business owner: Committing to equitable and accessible prices for all, always making sure your business achieves revenue stability, because we give from overflow right?

• If you’re an ally: Creating space and using your voice to elevate ours. I remember when I was in corporate and I had a boss who would pause the conversation and ask me directly if I had something to say. She knew I did, she also knew I didn’t have the capacity to raise my voice yet and having her create this space for me allowed me to build the muscle and trust in myself to speak up after a while. We don’t need saving, we need collaboration.

These are some of the many things Latina Equal Payday means to me, and maybe you have others that resonate with you. If you feel called to reply and share, I’m all ears. It’s with our collective knowledge that we continue to challenge the status quo.

And if you read this with a spiked ponche listening to holiday carols in the background, cheers. I’m jelly.

~ Pam