Why You’re Still Underpaid: Career Advice for Latinas Who Deserve More
I ran a poll asking Latinas in tech about their biggest workplace challenge.
67% said they feel undervalued.
17% pointed to the pay gap.
The rest shared other struggles, but all of it points to one thing:
We are not being seen. We are not being paid. And we’re definitely not being supported.
More than two-thirds of us feel like we’re not seen, not heard, and not fully appreciated. And that’s in an industry that needs our innovation, creativity, and leadership.
So, wtf is going on?
Career Barriers Latinas Still Face at Work
This is how it shows up:
You’re the only one in the room who looks like you.
Many Latinas find themselves as the only woman of color on their team, which makes it harder to find mentors and navigate workplace culture.
Your ideas get dismissed, until someone else repeats them.
Our ideas are questioned, our expertise is doubted, and yet, the same ideas sound brilliant when repeated by someone else.
You’re doing the work but still not getting the promotion.
Promotions, leadership roles, and high-visibility projects too often go to others, even when we’re just as, if not more, qualified.
You’re asked to lead DEI work, for free.
From being mistaken for non-technical roles to dealing with subtle (and overt) exclusion, the constant need to prove our legitimacy takes a toll.
Sound familiar? Yeah. It’s not you. It’s the system.
And before you think it’s just about the pay gap? Let’s go there too.
Why the Latina Pay Gap Still Exists
For the 17% who cited the pay gap as their biggest challenge, the numbers back it up. Latinas in tech are consistently and disproportionately underpaid compared to their peers.
Latina Equal Pay Day lands later in the year than for any other racial or ethnic group, because that’s how long it takes us to catch up to what white men made the year before. This is NOT about working harder, we’re already doing that.
This is about an industry that needs to do better.
3 Career Advice for Latinas Ready to Break the Cycle
1. Stop Internalizing the Problem
You’re not too quiet. You’re not unqualified.
You’ve been navigating workplaces that were never built for you.
Stop shrinking and start owning your value.
2. Join Latina Communities That Get It
You need people who understand how hard it is to negotiate, lead, and stay visible in white-dominated spaces.
3. Know How to Negotiate Your Salary
Negotiating isn’t a luxury, it’s survival.
Use tools like Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and talk to others in your field.
If you’re not sure how to start? Book a salary call with Vee.
Strategies to Advance Your Career as a Latina Professional
Keep receipts: Track your wins, promotions, and leadership moments.
Speak up in reviews: Show them the numbers and demand more.
Build your sponsor circle: You need people advocating for you in rooms you’re not in.
Stop waiting to be noticed. Ask.
FAQs: Career Advice for Latinas in the Workplace
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Latinos often face systemic bias, fewer promotion opportunities, lower pay, and isolation. Many also lack access to influential networks or sponsors
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Latinas often face both racial and cultural stereotypes, are underrepresented in leadership, and are the lowest-paid demographic, creating unique barriers that require both advocacy and support
No mas.
Latinas in tech are building the future, literally and figuratively. We no longer care about having a seat at the table if the exchange is our voices silenced and our needs placated.
DO SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY DRIVES CHANGE!
Tech needs us. Y’all know that, and we do too.