Equal Pay Day Plus a Couple Thoughts

Just a comment or three about today. If you've been on social media at all, you'll know that today is Equal Pay Day. An estimated time frame to show that since we are 102 days into the new year, that women's pay catches up to where men ended last year. I must say that I have a few comments on that as well. It is said that women make on average 77 cents to every white male's dollar, however comma, that is for a white female. Women of color tend to face a larger pay gap. According to a piece I read from Cosmopolitan magazine by Jill Filipovic,

"It's a ubiquitous statistic: Women make 79 cents for every dollar a man makes. African-American women make 65 cents, Native America women 59, and Latinas just 54 cents to a white man's dollar."

While the gap is shocking, it's really not surprising. Equal rights is always a touchy subject for everyone but women's rights have been a topic of controversy since we were 'granted' the right to vote. Now I'll be honest when I say that I'm not sure if I've been a victim of the pay gap because I work for a corporation that tends to pay by the position and not necessarily by the name of the person in the position. There's been different ups and downs with my work story the size of the Rocky Mountains but even before I got into the workforce, I remember my mom telling me,

"You'll have to work twice as hard because you have two strikes against you. 1. You're female and 2. You're Hispanic."

She warned me about this because I know that she's had some pay discrimination in her life for more reasons than just gender and race. She didn't want me to be caught off guard about how the world has worked for so long and I'm not.

And now in these recent years, it's nice to see how it's being put out there and how narrow minded people really are. Education and time off for families and experience are honestly some bull sh!t excuses that some tend to play around with on how much affects the pay gap and some even claim that the gap doesn't exist. But on the other side, if women do really well then they are the bossy devil b!tch in Prada.

"Ok she's tough, but if Miranda were a man, noone would notice anything about her except how great she is at her job" ~The Devil Wears Prada

 Apparently there is no middle to women in the workplace. Apparently there seems to be gap in more than one place. So to the doubters and nay-sayers, do whatever helps you sleep at night because just because you don't believe it's this bad or you doubt the gap even exists, it does. It may be bigger in a lot of places and not as big in others, but the gap itself still remains.

This topic hangs in the back of my mind at times and ends up mentally listed in a few of my life choices like building a savings. Because with a lesser pay in places, there's less for retirement and less received in Social Security because there's not always enough paid in during the working years. It's not always about the here and now but it's over time and you learn that a lot of things, like your pay, will affect more that just your bank account and current livelihood










What else have I learned? Look at my last post on what else I've learned in the past 25 years of life.

My Hispanic Remedies Explained

0k, I’m alive!!

It’s definitely been a trip. I’m not sure what is worse: being sick enough to have to miss work and just hate life or not being technically sick enough to have to go to work because you already have time off planned the next week. This past week has been a mess of everything. I’ve gone through so much stuff to keep me functioning as a human and more so as a human with a job in customer service. It’s not that I was contagious or anything, just felt like an incubus of viral plague.

Now, as a Hispanic woman, there are a few stereotypes that flow with being sick that society tends to mock but to be perfectly honest, there are a few reasons that they are home staples besides the fact that it works. Allow me to elaborate a tad:

Vicks vaporub, it’s creamy/gelly/absorbing and yes it has to be Vicks brand (and no, of course it's not sponsored, it's just brand loyalty). I don’t misplace this jar of amazingness. Sinuses backed up and now your throat is screaming from the dry air. Some people will go and buy a humidifier. Don't get me wrong, they are great, and even Vicks has their own line of humidifiers from cheap to people-spend-that-much-on-that? But when you’re at home and not wanting to encounter people in general, you do what you can.

Pop the biggest soup pot on the stove full of water and pop a spoonful of Vicks in it and let it simmer. Remember to check it every now and then so that it doesn’t end badly but the dry throat and nose will thank you no matter which room you are in. I have a relatively small place so it gives moisture to the air and even after I turn off the stove at night, because duh, I'm still able to save my throat and my voice. I've also been that person that's had it all over my chest, on the bottom of my feet with socks, and around my nostrils to one sooth my nose from the boxes of tissues and two, to smell it allll in. I had it a lot as a kid and it just reminds me of home. I'm not at home anymore and it sucks a lot when you have no choice but to take care of yourself, but it's stuff like this that helps you physically as well as mentally.

Manzanilla/Yerba Buena – Hot tea is a hot trend but it’s never been a fad when you consider the benefits of herbal tea. Now myself, I prefer Manzanilla (chamomile). Any stomach issue on down can be soothed with a steamy cup of tea. My bf prefers the good herb, mint. He is also the type who is not a fan of medicines, doctors, chemical compounds that are not included in car parts, etc. He’d rather drink some tea and tough it out. A lot of our culture is like that. If you aren’t holding your intestines inside your body then you’ll be ok. I don’t have that kind of patience but again, it works.

Sprite and/or 7up. The two are interchangeable really. Not saying that they taste the same but whichever you can get first, go for it. Anytime you get sick, you know to keep the fluids going but who likes being sick and waterlogged? Sometimes the bubbly goodness of Sprite doesn’t feel as heavy after a while and it gives your taste buds a break. And as a woman who’s had countless UTIs, mixing the Sprite to tone down the super tartness of straight cranberry juice helps keep the goodness going. You get some flavor and have the fluids to move things along

Caldito aka soup – it goes back to the keeping the fluids going but it also makes sense that especially if something is making you feel bleh, you have to eat something that is easy on the stomach and will be homey especially when you’re in an empty house taking care of yourself. Some people use chicken noodle soup. My family has a secret family chicken soup recipe that is easy to make and to eat. I’ve never not felt better after eating a bowl because then I’m warm, I’m full and I’ve given my body something that can help it fight whatever is keeping me down.  And if you make a big pot, then it lasts for days. 

Now I would have had pictures of my wonderful soup and Sprite, however comma, I ate and drank it all. But trust me, it goes back to the home feeling. I may not be at home or have someone to take care of me all day, but when you have a better attitude when you're sick, I think it helps so that way you won't be as miserable. So call your parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents who may have some home remedies but of course, be smart and go to the doctor too.




Read my previos post?
Operation Ducks in a row - Savings

My New Best Lash Friend