Every year, progressive activists spotlight Latina Equal Pay Day to argue that Latinas must work almost a full extra year to catch up to what a white man earns. That narrative turns Latinas into “victims” of a system instead of recognizing their initiative, ingenuity, and choice.

The so-called “Latina pay gap” compares the average earnings of all Latinas to all white men, without looking at what kinds of jobs they actually do, how many hours they work, or what experience they have. When you factor in education, industry, and hours, that gap shrinks significantly.

A Better Baseline: Latinas vs. Women, Not Latinas vs. Men

A more meaningful comparison is Latinas vs. white women, or women with similar roles and work patterns. As Independent Women puts it, much of what remains in raw wage-gap statistics stems from differences in choices, rather than universal discrimination. In the post “Give Women More Choice at Work This Equal Pay Day,” Independent Women argues that differences in hours, field, commute, and work preferences often drive observed gaps even while respecting women’s right to choose flexibility over pay.

That statistic doesn’t take into account important labor choices … Sometimes workers value different aspects of a job differently, such as flexibility.

Likewise, in “It’s OK for Women to Approach Work and Home Differently than Men,” Independent Women makes clear that men and women may reasonably value different trade-offs without implying inequality. 

When we compare Latinas to other women with similar career paths, the “gap” narrows significantly, and what remains often reflects our personal life choices rather than systemic injustice.

Latina Entrepreneurship Boom

Rather than waiting for systemic change, many Latinas are building their own paths with an entrepreneurship boom that is reverberating across the nation: 

These female entrepreneurs choose business ownership precisely because it allows them to align with family, culture, and caregiving obligations in ways a 9-to-5 salary job often cannot.

Still, barriers exist like access to capital, health insurance, retirement plans, credit history, and market networks. Removing those obstacles is a better policy goal than promoting narratives of helplessness and victimhood.

What’s Wrong with Equal Pay Day Narratives

Equal Pay Day and its spin-offs,  like “Latina Equal Pay Day,” rest on flawed premises. Independent Women has repeatedly critiqued these fabricated holidays as built around superficial metrics. In their article “3 Truths on Equal Pay Day,” we explain that once you control for factors like hours, occupation, and experience, much of the gap disappears.

In its piece on what drives the pay gap, Independent Women points out that men often take on higher-paying but riskier or more demanding jobs and tend to work longer hours. Women, on the other hand, including many Latinas, often value other things just as much as pay, like job satisfaction, a steady schedule, or time for family.

Women consider non-financial issues like enjoyment of work and work-life balance when choosing a major … men are most concerned with salaries and status.

These patterns show how markets, incentives, and preferences overlap. Admitting that doesn’t dismiss bias—it challenges the idea that every pay gap can be blamed on it.

Changing Policy to Empower Choice

To effectively support Latinas and women broadly, we should focus on advocating for policies that allow flexibility and choice to be the drivers of our livelihoods: 

  • Portable Benefits: We shouldn’t have to give up security to have flexibility. Making basic benefits like health insurance, retirement savings, and paid leave portable across jobs allows women to build the kind of work life that fits their families and futures.
  • Protect Independent Work: Freelance and contract work give millions of women the freedom to set their own schedules and shape their own career paths. Lawmakers should protect that freedom, not pass rules that would force independent workers into rigid, one-size-fits-all jobs.
  • Caregiving & Pregnancy Protections: Practical safeguards like the “Pregnant Workers Fairness Act” make it easier for women to work safely during pregnancy and care for their families without penalty, because no woman should have to make tradeoffs when it comes to their health, their families, and their careers.

Some women will climb the corporate ladder, others will start businesses, and many will mix both. The point of it all is choice. A fair system supports every path, instead of punishing women for taking the one that works best for them.

The Truth We Should Tell

“Latina Equal Pay Day” suggests Latinas are falling behind. The truth is, Latinas are seizing the freedom America provides to build businesses, shape communities, and drive economic growth for everyone.

Read more about debunking the pay wage gap here.