What I Learned From Rachel Rodgers’ Book We Should All Be Millionaires—And Why Latina, Hispanic & Native Women Still Make Less
After reading We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, I started reflecting on money, opportunity, and why Latina, Hispanic, and Native women are still among the most underpaid women in the U.S. Here are my thoughts—and why I believe we can change that story.
Inspired by episode 001 of the Labereee Podcast
There’s a conversation we need to keep having—and not just in boardrooms or policy meetings.
We need to talk about the wage gap.
I recently started reading We Should All Be Millionaires by Rachel Rodgers, and one thing hit me hard:
Women are still earning less than men.
Even after laws were passed years ago to protect equal pay… the gap is still here.
And when you look deeper into the numbers, Latinas, Hispanic women, and Native women are still among the most underpaid.
As a Latina, that hit home.
Because for me, this isn’t just a statistic on paper.
It’s personal.
Growing up Latina in USA
I was born in the United States.
But growing up, I didn’t hear people say “Latina” very often.
I was called Mexican.
And while there’s pride in that, there’s also a bigger conversation around identity, opportunity, and how many of us were raised.
Many of us watched the women around us work incredibly hard.
Cleaning homes.
Working in hotels.
Restaurants.
School kitchens.
Janitorial services.
Fast food.
Caregiving.
Jobs that are physically demanding… emotionally draining… and often underpaid.
And I want to say this clearly:
There is dignity in every one of those jobs.
Hard work is honorable.
But many Latina women were taught to survive—not necessarily to negotiate, ask for more, build wealth, or believe we belonged in the rooms where bigger decisions and bigger paychecks happen.
That matters.
Why I believe so many Latinas are underpaid
This is my personal opinion based on lived experience and what I’ve seen around me.
A big reason many Latinas remain underpaid is because so many of us start in industries with low wages and very little upward mobility.
And on top of that, many of us were raised with messages like:
- “Be grateful for what you have.”
- “Don’t ask for too much.”
- “Work hard and stay humble.”
- “Don’t make people uncomfortable.”
- “Play it safe.”
Those messages may have helped our families survive.
But they can also keep us small.
They can keep us accepting less than what we bring to the table.
Less pay.
Less recognition.
Less opportunity.
Even when we’re doing more.
Escaping minimum wage starts with mindset—and strategy
For me, changing this starts with belief.
We have to believe we belong in better-paying rooms.
We have to believe we can negotiate.
We have to believe we can ask for more.
We have to believe we can own businesses.
Lead teams.
Build wealth.
Invest.
Create offers.
Charge premium.
Apply for the role.
Speak up.
And then we pair belief with action.
That can look like:
- learning a skill that increases income
- applying for higher-paying roles
- negotiating compensation
- starting a side business
- building multiple streams of income
- finding mentors
- talking openly about money
- teaching our daughters what we didn’t learn early enough
That’s how we begin changing the numbers.
Not overnight.
But one woman at a time.
One raise at a time.
One bold move at a time.
For the Latina reading this
If you’ve ever felt like you work harder than everyone around you and still get paid less…
I see you.
If you’ve ever felt nervous asking for more…
I understand.
If you’ve ever questioned whether you were “qualified enough”…
You are not alone.
Your story does not have to stop where survival started.
You are allowed to earn more.
You are allowed to ask for more.
You are allowed to build wealth.
You are allowed to take up space.
And you are allowed to become the first woman in your family to change the financial trajectory for everyone after you.
That matters.
And we need more conversations like this.
Listen to Episode 001 of the Labereee Podcast
I share more about what I learned from We Should All Be Millionaires and my personal perspective on why Latina, Hispanic, and Native women continue to face wage gaps—and how we can begin rewriting that story.
