LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There are some disparities the Hispanic and Latine community faces, including wages.
A recent report from the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy found Hispanic workers make, on average, $17 per hour. That’s compared to $22 an hour for white workers.
Educational attainment among Latine and Hispanic communities has historically been lower compared to other ethnicities. This is one contributing factor to the demographic having lower wages.
La Casita Center in Louisville has several services and programs to support the Latinx and Hispanic community, including education and tutoring services.
“In the past, (Jefferson County Public Schools) had reported that only one out of four Latinx students is Kindergarten-ready. In 2017, we started our initiative, our program, La Escuelita de La Casita, the Little School of the Little House, to address this need," said Karina Barillas, the nonprofit's executive director.
Wages for Hispanic and Latine workers have improved overall. Jose Fernandez, University of Louisville professor of economics, said in 2020, Hispanic and Latine workers made about 73 cents on the dollar. It’s now closer to 77 cents on the dollar.
“One of the key reasons that we’re seeing a decline in the gap is that there has been an increase in education, primarily among Latinas,” Fernandez said.
Monica Negron, director of UofL’s Hispanic, Latinx and Indigenous Initiatives, said the university is seeing historic numbers of Latine and Hispanic students.
“For the past three years, we’ve had the highest number of Hispanic and Latinx students every single class ... those numbers continue to grow, which is awesome,” Negron said.
But even among Latinx and Hispanic workers who have a higher education, there are still wage gaps.
“After you account for education, there’s still 50% of the gap that we can’t explain due to things like your education, your experience,” Fernandez said. “You can put in your own fillers in there. It could be language barriers; it could be discrimination.”
Through Barillas’ work at La Casita Center, she confirmed language barriers are a contributing factor to lower wages for Hispanic and Latine workers.
“Because of the lack of the language, a lot of employers take advantage of them,” Barillas said. “Take advantage of them not knowing the language, not knowing the wages, not knowing their rights, not knowing the law of the land.”
Looking to prevent that, La Casita Center has services to address this issue through digital programs and support groups.
“We have a very robust virtual programming where we are always talking about the importance of knowing your rights, the importance of having a contract when you get hired, understanding what your job is about,” Barillas said.
La Casita Center has been around for 20 years and handled 67,000 cases in 2023, providing services in need. To reach the nonprofit, call 502-322-4036. The center takes calls Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A Latina Equal Pay Day event will be taking place at UofL Thursday, Oct. 3, at 12:30 p.m. It is open to the public.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of cases La Casita Center handled in 2023. This has been corrected. (Oct. 6, 2024)