The most recent report from the organization Hispanics Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) known as Economic Status of Latinas 2024 shows that economic disparities persist among Latinas in California, especially in what has to do with salaries and appointments to boards of directors in corporations, and even in commissions, decided by the state governor.
Suffice it to say that Latina women in California earn 42 cents for every dollar earned by a non-Hispanic white man; against 71 cents for white women.
For this reason, the HOPE study is a call to action for legislators and community leaders to address inequalities and help Latinas rise up for a more equitable and prosperous future.
“This report underscores the urgency of addressing the persistent inequalities faced by Latinas in California. By recognizing their challenges and working together to implement fair solutions, we can create a more inclusive society where every Latina has the opportunity to succeed.”
This report will be the subject of discussion at an informational hearing to be held at the California Assembly Special Committee on Latina Inequalities chaired by Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, on May 8 at the State Capitol in Sacramento.
“I am deeply grateful to HOPE for their tireless dedication to shedding light on the challenges Latinas face in California,” said Assemblywoman Carrillo.
“Latinas are the economic engine of our state and the largest majority. However, we face some of the deepest inequalities when it comes to economic, educational and health outcomes and are severely underrepresented in several sectors, from senior management, public office and in executive leadership positions.”
As chair of the Special Committee on Latina Inequalities, she pledged to ensure these issues come to the forefront of legislative debates by promoting public discourse around the report’s findings, some of which she said are troubling and underscore the urgent need to adopt political measures to address the challenges.
Important results:
- Population: California has the largest Hispanic population in the United States. Latinas comprise 20% of the state’s total population.
- Lack of financial education: Entrepreneurship thrives among Latinas, with Latina-owned businesses increasing by 26.5% between 2018 and 2021, generating nearly 147,000 jobs with an annual payroll of $5.92 billion. However, the interview results show that there is a crucial need to improve financial literacy to address the state’s high cost of living and ensure sustainable growth.
- Education: While more Latinas are enrolling in schools, graduation rates and access to advanced placement courses still lag behind those of white students. Despite a slight drop to 87% in the 2022-23 academic year, California’s Latina high school graduation rate remained higher than the state’s overall rate of 86%. In 2022, more than 18% of Latinas ages 25 and older in California had earned at least a bachelor’s degree, showing a positive trend compared to the 2018 figure, but significantly lower than the nearly 48% rate of white women.
- Health challenges: The health disparities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic are evident. Life expectancy at birth decreased 4.1 years for Latinas compared to 1.8 years for non-Hispanic white women. Latina women faced disproportionate impacts, with higher mortality rates and disparities in maternal care. The uninsured rate for Latinas in California was a record low of 8.8% in 2022.
- Representation in leadership: Even though Latina representation on California corporate boards doubled between 2020 and 2021, Latinas held just 3.3% of seats in 2023. In the Governor’s appointments to government boards and commissions, Latinas they represented only 9% in 2023. Although there is a significant increase in the representation of Latinas in state offices since 2015, with 25% in the state legislature, the presence of Latinas in national offices remains low, with only four Latinas in the 52 seats in the House of Representatives occupied by Californians.
Recommendations:
- Financial education: Expand tax credits or subsidies for people who support elderly parents and relatives, continue pandemic-era investments in social safety net programs for low-income and undocumented Californians, and conduct a targeted educational campaign on the California CalSavers Program.
- Pay inequality: Establish mechanisms to reward signatories of the Equal Pay Commitment for maintaining their commitment and investing in workforce diversity programs that channel programs to expand occupational opportunities for Latinas.
- Investments in small businesses: Expand funding opportunities and resources that provide tailored technical assistance to minority- and women-owned small businesses and improve current mechanisms for evaluating data on minority- and women-owned small businesses.
- Closing gaps in educational outcomes: Increase oversight of Local Control Action Plans to ensure fidelity to the goals of the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) and ensure that the needs of English learners are incorporated into the Mathematics Framework California Public Schools 2023; and diversify the teaching workforce by maintaining ongoing professional preparation and development programs and increasing the representation of bilingual educators.
For this study, HOPE analyzed data from several government sources, including the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and compared the demographic and economic metrics of Latinas with other groups at the national, state and regional levels.
Additional data was obtained from reports and interviews with Latina women from various regions, employment sectors, and age groups to contextualize the data and gain insights into how to support their economic advancement and career paths.
You can see the report on the Economic Status of Latinas in California at: https://www.latinas.org/eslrca24/.