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1 Center for American Progress |  The State of Women of Color in the United States

 The State of Women of Color

in the United StatesAlthough They’ve Made Incredible Strides, Many

Barriers Remain for This Growing Population

Sophia Kerby July 17, 2012

Introduction

Te role o women o color in shaping our counry’s economic and poliical climae

is becoming increasingly signican as naional demographic rends coninue o shi

oward women o color becoming he majoriy among all women. oday women o 

color comprise 36.3 percen o our naion’s emale populaion and approximaely 18

percen o he enire U.S. populaion. And by 2050 here will be no racial or ehnic

majoriy among he general populaion o he Unied Saes. As our counry rapidly 

grows more diverse, women o color are consequenly a growing demographic.

Bu women o color oday are largely underrepresened in he naional debae on key 

issues, including reproducive healh care, women’s righs, and he economy—despiehe direc impac hese issues have on heir amilies and communiies. In ac, women

o color have a lo a sake in he policy decisions being made, especially relaing o

 jobs, he economy, and healh care, because hey are mos likely o bene rom reorms

inended o equalize opporuniy or all Americans.

o be sure, women o color have made incredible srides in educaional atainmen and

in he workplace—especially in enrepreneurship—ye heir earnings and ne wealh

sill pale in comparison o whie women. Tey also lag behind in poliical leadership

posiions and sill ace unique healh dispariies. So heir voices are criical o shaping

he policies ha aec heir lives.

Tis issue brie examines he sae o women o color in he Unied Saes a large in

regards o our key areas: he workplace wage gap, healh, educaional atainmen, and

poliical leadership. While conversaions in he mainsream media would sugges ha

 women o color are a monolihic eniy, i is imporan o noe ha women o color are

a diverse group wih a variey o experiences. We oer specic daa poins on various

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2 Center for American Progress |  The State of Women of Color in the United States

racial and ehnic groups where available as we presen he issues o greaes imporance

o women o color oday, bu remember ha daa are no always available or direc com-

parisons o dieren groups o women o color compared o heir whie counerpars.

 The workplace wage gap

 While women o color have made signican srides in he workorce over he pas

decade, hey sill ace unique employmen barriers ha harm heir economic secu-

riy. Despie eors o lessen is eecs, a signican pay gap sill exiss beween men

and women. And he gap is more pronounced among women o color: While women

overall make 77 cens or every dollar he average whie male makes, black women and

Hispanic women only make 70 cens and 61 cens , respecively. Te gender-based wage

gap uniquely harms women o color who ace greaer occupaional segmenaion, even

lower wages, and punishingly higher raes o unemploymen han whie women.

 Women o color currenly make up abou 33 percen o he emale workorce and arewice as likely as heir whie emale counerpars o be employed in lower-wage secors

such as he service indusry. No surprisingly, hen, he earnings o women o color con-

inue o lag behind heir whie counerpars. Te wage dispariy limis women o color

rom obaining economic securiy by depressing heir lieime earnings: Esimaes show 

ha women lose an average o $434,000 in heir lieime rom he gender-based wage

gap, and women o color are hi harder by his loss because hey have lower-wage jobs

and higher raes o unemploymen.

 Addiionally, women o color also experience lower median weekly earnings, higher

raes o povery, and greaer unemploymen. In comparison o whie women, whosemedian usual weekly earnings are $703, black women only earn $595 and Laina women

 jus $518. Women o color also repor living in povery a much higher raes: In 2008

povery raes among women were more han double or women o color compared o

 whie women. Te povery rae o whie, non-Hispanic women is 10.3 percen, com-

pared o American Indian women and black women who had he highes povery raes

a 27.6 percen and 26.6 percen, respecively.

Black and Laina women are also disproporionaely unemployed. During he rs quar-

er o 2012, black and Laina women saw raes o unemploymen a 13.3 percen and

11.4 percen, respecively, which were much higher han he 7.2 percen unemploymen

rae or whie women.

I hese rends coninue, women o color will be le behind and heir amilies and com-

muniies will be adversely aeced, especially as more women become breadwinners—

earning eiher as much or more han heir husbands—in heir households. According o

a recen CAP repor , in Hispanic households abou 4 in 10 working wives were bread-

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 winners in 2010—nearly double he rae in 1975. And among black households, more

han hal (53.3 percen) o working wives were breadwinners. As women coninue o be

providers, eliminaing he pay gap is crucial or hese communiies o prosper.

Occupational segmentation

One obvious reason or his workplace wage gap is ha discriminaion and labor seg-

menaion over he years has resriced women o low-income jobs. In ac, women are

hree imes more likely o work in adminisraive posiions and are overrepresened in

lower-paying occupaions o he proessional secor such as educaion and healh care.

In 2007 less han 15 percen o women were employed in managemen, business, and

nancial operaions occupaions.

In communiies o color he labor segmenaion becomes even more apparen. In 2007

only 5.6 percen o black women and 4.8 percen o Laina women were in managemen

posiions. Te service indusry was he mos common occupaion or black and Laina women, a 27 percen and 30 percen, respecively. And he healh care indusry is he

larges employer or Asian American and Pacic Islander women.

 Women o color are underrepresened in proessional and managerial posiions and

ace signican barriers in ransiioning ou o low-wage jobs. Some o he barriers ha

hinder women o color rom advancing are lower levels o educaional atainmen—as

explored in more deail laer in his issue brie—and lack o workorce raining.

Business ownership

One area where women o color have made signican progress, however, is in enre-

preneurism. Businesses owned by women o color play a key role in he curren mar-

keplace. Currenly 1.9 million rms are majoriy owned by women o color, generaing

$165 billion in annual revenue and employing 1.2 million people.

Laina-owned businesses are he ases-growing segmen o he women-owned busi-

ness marke, and are saring up a six imes he naional average. Currenly, 1 in 10 o 

all women-owned businesses are owned by Lainas. Across he counry, Laina-owned

 businesses have oal receips o $55.7 billion and oal receips have grown by 57.8

percen since 2002.

 Arican American women are also pioneers in he business world. According o he

Cener or Women’s Business Research, black women are saring businesses a hree o

ve imes he rae o all businesses. Despie acing nancial obsacles companies sared

 by Arican American women grew nearly 67 percen beween 2002 and 2007

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Health

 Women o color have disproporionaely higher raes o diabees, obesiy, hear disease,

hyperension, and cerain orms o cancer, and also have increased moraliy raes or

cerain orms o cancer. While whie women are more likely o have breas cancer, black 

 women have higher moraliy raes rom breas cancer. Every year, or example, 1,722 

 Arican American women die rom breas cancer—an average o ve Arican American women per day. Tere are also higher deah raes rom cervical cancer among older

Hispanic women, Asian American women, and American Indian/Alaska Naive women

han among whie women.

Increased coverage will reduce hese dispariies by improving access o adequae healh

insurance and healh care or women o color. Le’s look a each o hese areas in urn.

Insurance coverage

 While women o color represen 36.3 percen o he U.S. emale populaion, hey 

accoun or 53.2 percen o uninsured women , wih Hispanics having he highes unin-

sured raes across all oher racial and ehnic groups. Insurance coverage provides women

 wih increased access o prevenive healh care ha will signicanly help reduce he

onse o cerain diseases ha disproporionaely aec women o color, such as diabees,

obesiy, hear disease, and breas cancer.

 An esimaed 5.5 million Arican Americans, 6.1 million Lainos, 2.7 million Asians, and

300,000 Naive Americans—many o hem women—are currenly receiving expanded

prevenive service coverage under he Aordable Care Ac. According o a repor by heKaiser Family Foundaion , 31 percen o Naive American women and 20 percen o 

 Asian Pacic Islander women lacked insurance coverage in 2006. Increased insurance

coverage under Obamacare will reduce healh dispariies among women o color and

provide adequae healh services o hese women.

Medicaid

More han 50 million people are currenly enrolled in Medicaid—he join ederal-sae

healh insurance program or he poor—and women represen more han wo-hirds

o he aduls who receive i. Nearly 60 percen o children paricipaing in Medicaid are

rom communiies o color. Since women o color are disproporionaely represened in

low-wage jobs, hey oen do no have access o employer-sponsored healh insurance.

In 2010, 28 percen o Arican Americans relied on Medicaid compared o 11 percen

o non-Hispanic whies.  As many as 9 million low-income Lainos will gain healh care

coverage due o he expanded Medicaid eligibiliy under Obamacare.

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Family planning

 Women o color have hisorically had subsandard healh care and educaion, which has

oen led o higher raes o unplanned pregnancies. Dispariies in reproducive healh

have caused Laina women o experience uninended pregnancies a double he rae 

o whie women, and Arican American women experience uninended pregnancies a

hree imes he rae.

Due o unequal pay and high unemploymen raes among women o color, high coss

oen deny many o hese women access o conracepion. Removing he nancial hurdles

o obaining conracepion will gran women o color access o his vial healh service.

Educational attainment

 While college uiion coninues o skyrocke, i’s well known ha possecondary educa-

ion is linked o uure economic prosperiy. Tis makes i ha much more imporanha more communiies o color atain college degrees a higher raes. Women o color

have seen he mos advances in educaional atainmen as women among mos racial

and ehnic groups are receiving degrees a higher raes han men.

Bu women o color coninue o experience sebacks in breaking ino more lucraive

elds such as mah and science, ace nancial difculies, and have lower comple-

ion raes in comparison o whie women. In 2010, 30 percen o whie women had a

college degree or higher, compared o 21.4 percen o black women and a mere 14.9

percen o Hispanic women.

 Addiionally, while women o color have seadily progressed in possecondary educaion,

hose eors do no always ranslae ino equal earnings laer down he road. According o

Census daa in regards o work-lie earnings, regardless o degree obained whie women

make more han black and Hispanic women among ull-ime, year-round workers.

College enrollment and completion

 As our naion’s demographics coninue o change, i’s imperaive ha ataining a col-

lege degree becomes a prioriy among women o color. Financial insabiliy and ewer

resources and opporuniies are jus some o he barriers ha women o color ace in

possecondary educaion. Below are some key poins highlighing he advances and

challenges or women o color in possecondary educaion.

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• Women of color are disproportionately represented among low-income students.

 A repor by he Cener or Women Policy Sudies nd ha more han one-hird—34.9

percen—o all women sudens are low income, bu more han hal o Arican American

 women sudens (52.6 percen) and Laina sudens (50.8 percen) are low income.

• Despite progress, women of color are the most underrepresented in science. In a

2010 Bayer Corporaion sudy  , 77 percen o hose polled noed ha “women andunderrepresened minoriies are missing rom he U.S. SEM [science, echnology,

engineering, and mah] workorce.”

• Women of color have a higher percentage of college completion. In he 2008-09

school year, women o color generally earned a greaer share o college degrees com-

pared o heir male counerpars han whie, non-Hispanic women.

• Women of color continue to make strides in advanced studies. Te number o mas-

er’s degrees earned by women o color doubled rom 1997 o 2007, and he number

o docoral degrees hey earned increased by 63 percen over he same ime period.

 Women o color have made signican srides in compleing college a higher raes and

obaining advanced degrees in higher numbers, bu lower compleion raes han whie

 women and nancial barriers coninue o hinder heir ull poenial, paricularly among

Lainos—he ases-growing populaion—who coninue o have he lowes educaional

atainmen levels.

Political leadership

 Alhough women o color have made subsanial advances in he workorce, business,

and educaional atainmen, his group coninues o be grealy underrepresened in posi-

ions o power in governmen. Women currenly comprise only 17 percen o Congress,

and he numbers are paricularly bleak or women o color.

O he 90 women serving in he curren 112h U.S. Congress, women o color comprise

only 27 percen. Women o color are compleely absen in he Senae, and only 24 cur-

renly serve in he House o Represenaives. O hose serving in he House, more han

hal (13) are Arican American women, less han one-hird (7) are Lainas, and only wo

are Asian Pacic Islanders. A Naive American woman has never served in Congress.

 Women ace unique barriers in running or ofce. Sudies show ha women are less

likely o be encouraged o run or ofce and he demands o child care and household

asks hinder women. Below are some o he key acs highlighing he lack o represena-

ion o women o color serving in poliical ofce:

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• There are even fewer women of color serving as statewide elective executives—such

as governor, lieutenant governor, or attorney general—than in Congress. Women o 

color comprise 14.9 percen o emale sae elecive execuives, including he rs wo

 women o color o serve as governors—Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Gov. Susana

Marinez (R-NM).

• State legislatures are even less representative of our current demographics. O he1,749 women in sae legislaures, women o color represen 20.1 percen o he emale

sae legislaors and 4.8 percen o he oal sae legislaors.

• There are currently no women of color in the Senate. Te only woman o color o

serve in he Senae was Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL), an Arican American who served

rom 1993 o 1999.

• In the nation’s 100 largest cities, only two women of color are currently serving as

mayors. Previously only eigh women o color have served—seven Arican American

 women and one Laina.

Conclusion

 Women o color are a key growing demographic in he Unied Saes, represening 36.3

percen o he counry ’s emale populaion oday and abou 18 percen o he enire U.S.

populaion. As women o color coninue o shape our poliical and economic climae,

i’s imperaive o acknowledge ha hey are no a monolihic eniy.

 As saed above, women o color have dieren experiences in he workorce and polii-cal leadership. Each demographic aces dieren healh dispariies and advances in

educaional atainmen, making i ha much more imporan ha we acknowledge heir

diverse perspecives, paricularly in he naional discourse on issues direcly impacing

heir amilies and communiies.

Sophia Kerby is the Special Assistant for Progress 2050 at the Center for American Progress.