[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 21 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. CON. RES. 21
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to Latina women in comparison to men.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 4, 2023
Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Menendez,
Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Brown, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Hickenlooper,
Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Murray, Mr.
Heinrich, Mr. Bennet, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr.
Kaine, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr.
Kelly) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of equal pay and the disparity in wages
paid to Latina women in comparison to men.
Whereas October 5, 2023, is Latina Equal Pay Day to observe the pay gap between
Latina women and White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas Latina women make up the second-largest group of women workers in the
United States, after White women;
Whereas there are 13,900,000 Hispanic women in the labor force, representing
slightly more than 10 percent of all women in the labor force today;
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 six decades ago, which establishes that employers shall not
discriminate in wages on the basis of sex, but shall provide equal pay
for equal work, Bureau of the Census 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 52 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas the National Women's Law Center has calculated that, on average, Latina
women lose over $1,200,000 in potential earnings over a 40-year career
to the wage gap;
Whereas, at the rate observed in 2023, Latinas will not reach equal pay with
White non-Hispanic men for 183 years, or until 2206;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census reported the
median annual pay for all Latina women in the United States working
full-time, part-time, and part-year was $31,600 in 2022, compared to the
median annual pay of $60,830 for White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of the Census reported the
median annual pay for all Latina women working full-time and part-time
is $26,485, placing a working mother of two on the brink of 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 approximately 51 percent of Latina women are unable to earn sick days
through their jobs;
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 was 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 annual wage gap were eliminated, on average, a Latina woman
working full-time and year-round would have enough money to pay for
nearly three years of childcare, to pay for 38 months of food, or more
than 22 months of rent;
Whereas women face disproportionate sexual harassment in the workplace and data
shows that women filed 78.2 percent of the 27,291 sexual harassment
charges filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission between
fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2021;
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, under-employment, and financial stress resulting
from changing jobs, which lead to long-term consequences for earnings
and career attainment;
Whereas more than two-thirds of workers paid the minimum wage or less in 2022
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 childcare, and the ability to build wealth;
Whereas the underpayment of Latina women workers causes businesses and the
economy to suffer;
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 October 5, 2023, as Latina
Equal Pay Day to recognize 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 Senate (the House of Representatives 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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