IV 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 122 

Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages paid 

to Latina women in comparison to men. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 8, 2022 

Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. 

BONAMICI, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. NEWMAN, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. 

ESPAILLAT, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Ms. 

NORTON, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. SOTO, Mr. RUIZ, Ms. ROSS, Ms. 

LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. PORTER, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. 

BROWNLEY, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. LEE of 

California, Ms. ESCOBAR, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mrs. TORRES of California, Ms. MENG, Ms. TITUS, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. RASKIN, 

Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Mr. LEVIN of California, 

Mr. CORREA, and Mr. GRIJALVA) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity 

in wages paid to Latina women in comparison to men. 

Whereas December 8, 2022, is Latina Equal Pay Day to observe that Latina women must work nearly an additional 

11 months to earn, on average, what White, non-Hispanic men were paid in 2021; 

Whereas Latina women make up the second-largest group of 

women workers in the United States, after White women; 


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Whereas there are 12,800,000 Hispanic women in the labor 

force, representing slightly more than 17 percent of all 

women in the labor force today; 

Whereas the labor force participation rate of Latina women 

in 2021 was higher than that of their White counterparts, which reflects that a growing share of Latina 

women are either working or actively looking for work; 

Whereas section 6(d) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 

1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d)(1)) prohibits discrimination in 

wages on the basis of sex for equal work; 

Whereas title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 

2000e et seq.) prohibits discrimination in compensation 

because of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex; 

Whereas despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 

(29 U.S.C. 206 note) more than five decades ago, which 

establishes that employers shall not discriminate in wages 

on the basis of sex but shall provide equal pay for equal 

work, Census Bureau data show that Latina women 

working full-time and year-round are paid 57 cents for 

every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men, while the 

average wage differential for all Latina women with reported earnings working full-time, part-time and partyear is 54 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men; 

Whereas a study conducted in 2019 found that on average, 

Latina women lose over $1,100,000 in potential earnings 

over their lifetime to the wage gap; 

Whereas the American Community Survey 2016–2020 reported that median annual pay for Latina women in the 

United States working full-time, year-round was $33,000; 


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Whereas the American Community Survey 2016–2020 reported that median annual pay for all Latina women with 

reported earnings working full-time, part-time and partyear was $25,312, placing a working mother with two 

children near poverty; 

Whereas job loss during the COVID–19 pandemic distorted 

measurements of average wages as women with lower 

earnings in sectors such as leisure, hospitality, and retail 

were more likely to experience job loss and leave the labor 

force; 

Whereas lost wages mean Latina women have less money to 

support themselves and their families, save and invest for 

the future, and spend on goods and services; 

Whereas 51 percent of Latina women are unable to earn sick 

days through their jobs; 

Whereas more than half of Latina women who are low-wage 

earners report that they spent most or all of their savings 

during the COVID–19 pandemic and 32 percent have no 

money left for emergencies, compared to 13 percent of 

White men; 

Whereas the lack of affordable, accessible child care during 

the COVID–19 pandemic led to 14 percent of Latina 

women, and 32 percent of immigrant Latina women, to 

quit their jobs or reduce their number of work hours to 

care for their children; 

Whereas the underpayment of Latina women workers causes 

businesses and the economy to suffer; 

Whereas the lack of access to affordable, quality child care, 

paid family and medical leave, and other family friendly 

workplace policies forces many Latina women to choose 

between their paycheck or job and getting quality care 


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for themselves or their family members, a dynamic that 

contributes to the wage gap and has been further exacerbated by the COVID–19 pandemic, especially as Latina 

women disproportionately work in essential jobs that put 

them at greater risk of exposure to COVID–19; 

Whereas if the wage gap were eliminated, on average, a 

Latina woman working full-time and year-round would 

have enough money to pay for approximately three years 

of child care, to pay off her student debt in one year, or 

to pay off 19 months of the average mortgage payment; 

Whereas 25 to 85 percent of women have been sexually harassed at the workplace, and research has found that only 

a small number of those who experience harassment, or 

about 1 in 10, formally report incidents for reasons including lack of access to the complaint process and fear 

of retaliation; 

Whereas workplace harassment forces many women to leave 

their occupation or industry—targets of harassment were 

6.5 times as likely as nontargets to change jobs—or pass 

up opportunities for advancement, and this contributes to 

the gender wage gap; 

Whereas there is a high personal cost for women who have 

been sexually harassed, including unemployment, underemployment, and financial stress resulting from changing 

jobs, which lead to long-term consequences for earnings 

and career attainment; 

Whereas two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or 

less in 2020 are women, and there is a disproportionate 

concentration of women of color in low-wage and tipped 

jobs; 


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Whereas the pay disparity Latina women face is part of a 

wider set of disparities Latina women face in homeownership, unemployment, poverty, access to child care, and 

the ability to build wealth; 

Whereas true pay equity requires a multifaceted strategy that 

addresses the gender and racial injustices that Latina 

women face daily; and 

Whereas many national organizations have designated December 8, 2022, as Latina Equal Pay Day to represent 

the additional time that Latina women must work into 

the next calendar year to receive the earnings of White, 

non-Hispanic men in the prior Census year: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to 

4 Latina women and its impact on women, families, 

5 the economy, and our entire country; and 

6 (2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay 

7 and closing the gender wage gap. 

Æ 


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