Source: Peathegee Inc. / Getty
A new state-by-state report is taking a close look at the lives of Black women in the United States. Co-authored by the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the “Status of Black Women in the United States” report seeks to “amplify the historical and current contributions of Black domestic workers to the broader domestic worker movement.”
“As you know, Black women get a raw deal in the U.S.,” Alicia Garza, Special Projects Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, said via email. “We are mothers, caregivers, activists and community leaders who consistently work for the benefit of our country, but our country is consistently not working for us.”
According to the NDWA, the report analyzes data by gender, race and ethnicity for all 50 states. The report also provides demographic info for each state while offering ways for opportunities for Black women to become “truly realized.”
“I hope this report will lead to renewed conversation about the importance of Black women to our democracy, and lead to policy and programmatic changes to help us reach our full prosperity, which has been historically denied by systematic injustices that are still prevalent to this day,” Garza continued.
Read some report highlights below, then head over to DomesticWorkers.org to learn more.
1 “In 2014, Black women composed 6.4% of U.S., but as of August 2016 held only 3.4% seats in Congress and no seats in Senate.”
2 “More than 60% Black women are in the workforce, but their earnings lag behind most women’s and men’s earnings in the U.S.”
3 “Black families depend on Black women’s earnings. Over 80% of Black mothers are breadwinners.”
4 “Black women experience poverty at higher rates than all other racial/ethnic groups except Native American women.”
5 “Workforce development programs that recruit and train Black women in specific skills can help access to career ladders.”
