Office of Economic Empowerment Hosts Panel on Latina’s Equal Pay

BOSTON – This Wednesday at 11:00AM, the State Treasurer’s Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE) is partnering with Amplify Latinx to host a virtual roundtable on pay equity and the history of the wage gap for Latinas. Latina panelists will discuss the economic impact of COVID-19 on Latinas in the workforce and the business community. This virtual webinar is part of the 2021 EqualPayMA Roundtable series which is co-hosted by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition.

Panelists include:

Waleska Lugo-DeJesús, CEO-Inclusive Strategies and MAWOCC Founding Board Member

Marcela Aldaz-Matos, National Board Chair- ALPFA

Evelyn Barahona, Director-Latino Equity Fund at The Boston Foundation

Eneida M. Roman, Co Founder-Amplify Latinx

Diana Mancera (Moderator), Director of Membership & Programs- Jane Doe Inc.

“Moving our state towards equal and equitable pay for all people is a top priority,” said Alayna Van Tassel, OEE’s Executive Director. “The pandemic has shined a light on long-lived structural inequities for women, especially Latinas, and these roundtable discussions are key to figuring out how we address them.”

“According to the Center for American Progress (CFAP), women of color in particular Latina and Black women have significantly higher poverty rates than white women,” said Celia J. Blue, President and CEO of Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition (MAWOCC). “In addition, according to CFAP, women of color will make up 53% of the female population in 2050. Given this fact, we must reverse the trend of the poverty rates. Women of color are a vital part of the economy and will continue to be for many years to come. While there is much work to be done, this EqualPay Series and forum highlights the importance of this issue and is part of the solution in ensuring women of color are paid equally as their white female and male counterparts to begin to start reversing the trend of the poverty rates.”

"Latinas today earn, on average, just $0.55 for every dollar earned by White men, leaving them with a pay gap that surpasses that of women in all other racial groups,” said Rosario Ubiera-Minaya, Executive Director of Amplify Latinx. “The Latina pay gap extends beyond just low-wage workers, affecting Latinas at every level – including executives and other professional occupations. Eliminating the wage gap would provide much-needed income to Latinas, including many heads of households. Around half of Latina mothers are key breadwinners for their families."

Narrowing the gender wage gap for women of all races and identities has always been a mission for the Treasurer and the Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE), and this conversation on Latina’s lack of equal pay marks another step working towards that goal. This will be the sixth event in the 2021 EqualPayMA Roundtable series that OEE is hosting throughout 2021 to recognize how pay inequity affects different demographic groups and how it has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

You can register for the Latina’s Equal Pay event here and all upcoming OEE events can be found on their Mass.gov page.

On her first day in office, Treasurer Goldberg created the Office of Economic Empowerment, led by a deputy treasurer, with the deliberate goal of implementing a range of economic empowerment initiatives that include closing the race and gender wage gap, addressing racial equity, increasing access to financial education, improving college affordability, and investing in STEM careers and education.

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