[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 4, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4957-S4958]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 21--RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EQUAL 
 PAY AND THE DISPARITY IN WAGES PAID TO LATINA WOMEN IN COMPARISON TO 
                                  MEN

  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:

                            S. Con. Res. 21

       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;

[[Page S4958]]

       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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