Title: Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages paid to Latina women in comparison to men.
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
This concurrent resolution recognizes the disparity between wages paid to Latina women, and its impact on women, families, and the nation and reaffirms Congress' commitment to supporting equal pay and to narrowing the gender wage gap.


[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 122 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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. Barragan, Mr. Huffman, Ms. 
    Bonamici, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Newman, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. 
Espaillat, Mr. Cardenas, 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. Velazquez, 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;
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 part-year 
        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;
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 part-year 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 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;
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
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Latina women 
        and its impact on women, families, the economy, and our entire 
        country; and
            (2) reaffirms its support for ensuring equal pay and 
        closing the gender wage gap.
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