Women have fought for and achieved countless victories throughout the 20th century. One of the biggest wins was the right to vote, as it enabled them to become an economic force in society. While women have advanced their status, the advancement has not been equally shared among races. One of the biggest inequalities and gaps is experienced by women of color. Women of color make a significant percentage of the United States population but are highly underrepresented in key issues. One of the most difficult issues is that women of color have lagged behind economically. The current economic status of women of color in the U.S. is that they fall behind economically in terms of wealth, employment, housing, and managerial jobs.
Unemployment
Women of color experience the highest unemployment rates. In the year 2013, Black women experienced a 10.5% and Hispanic women 8.2% unemployment rate. On the other hand, white women experienced a 5.2% unemployment rate, and Asian women had a 4.6% unemployment rate (“Status of Women Data”, 2013). The 2009 recession also impacted women of color more, where they experienced the highest levels of unemployment. However, the impact was not the same as it divided across gender, racial, and ethnic lines. The recovery of women of color was slower compared to any other group. The challenge of unemployment means that women of color can hardly meet their basic needs and afford better housing.
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Housing
A higher percentage of women of color experience challenges in paying rent and housing affordability. Among all renters, women of Latinx and Black origin were significantly impacted by the housing crisis. While the rent burden can be attributed to a high cost of housing, it is also caused by the women of color experiencing lower wages compared to their white counterparts. In the year 2015, the percentages of women burdened by their rent in the Bay region were 60 percent, 62 percent, and 66 percent for Native American women, Latino women, and Black women respectively. On the other hand, Asian or white women were the least burdened, with 39 and 40 percent experiencing rent burden (“Equity ripples: Women of color face the highest rent burden in Bay Area”, 2019). The poor economic condition means that women are taking more debt to have affordable housing.
Wages
Women of color have improved their employability and wages by completing their education and earning college degrees. However, they continue to earn less compared to white men and women. According to Williams (2017), women strive to participate in the workforce, but continue to be underpaid and underemployed. The earnings of women have constantly decreased and went down by 5 percent between 2004 and 2014. There earnings are also almost a half of what white men earn. The weekly earnings of Black and Latino women was $621 and $531 respectively, while that of white women was $728 (“Lecture Notes – Why Race, Class, Gender, Matter”, 2021). If the trend continues, women of color will fall behind in their communities and families. The challenge becomes more pronounced when one considers that most women of color are breadwinners in their families. They earn more or as much as their husbands. As the women continue to be providers for their families, there is a need to eliminate the pay gap for their communities to prosper.
Wealth and Poverty
The median wealth of single and colored women is lower than that of white women. Single African women were found to have a median wealth of $100.37, with Latinas having $120.38, while single white men had a median wealth of $43,800.35 (Ahmad & Iversion, 2013). The data showed that single and colored women experience zero median wealth. This places their families at risk as they face the risk of going into debt due to various problems such as staying home due to unemployment or having a sick child. Women living below the poverty line was 24.6 percent while the white women were at 10.8 percent (Williams, 2017). The different indicators showed that women of color fare worse in terms of wealth. Having no wealth means that most women of color live paycheck to paycheck and experience constant uncertainty.
Business Ownership
One area where women of color have made a significant process is business. Companies and firms owned by women have increased significantly over the past few years and are a significant part of the business world. According to Ahmad and Iversion (2013), women of color own approximately 2 million companies that have approximately 1 million employees, generating more than $165 billion in annual revenues. Latina-owned businesses are also the fastest growing in the market, and they start businesses at six times that of the national average rate. African American women are also pioneering in the business world. Williams (2017) observed that the share of colored women that own business rose the largest among all racial groups by 178 percent from 2002 to 2012. However, women of color still continue to face multiple challenges in the business world. Most of their businesses experience very low average sales. Despite the obstacles that the women face, they contribute more than any other group by starting more businesses.
Underrepresentation in Managerial Positions
One of the reasons for the high wage gap is there have been labor segmentation and discrimination that has resulted in women being restricted to low-income jobs. Historical data shows that women are have a lower chance of working in professional and managerial positions. However, there are more women in other low-paying careers like the health care and education sector. The gap becomes more pronounced in communities of color, where they experience the lowest rates of positions in managerial positions. A small percent of African American women (11.9 percent) and Latina women (9.5 percent) worked in finance, business, or management positions (Carter & Peters, 2016). One of the reasons for the poor representation of women of color in professional and managerial positions is that they face multiple barriers when transitioning from low-wage jobs. Barriers such as educational attainment and discrimination hinder women from advancing more in the positions.
Analysis
The analysis of the given factors shows that women of color go through a significant oppression and abuse due to racism and discrimination. It provided an overwhelming evidence of the ongoing drag from racial and gender discrimination and how it reflects on the economic state of the families and workers. Women also encountered different forms of abuse that resulted in discrimination. There are negative presentations of what it means to be a black woman where they are viewed as mothers that can only carry out caregiving at home. Women of color can experience gendered and racialized types of sexual harassment that can lead to their isolation and exclusion from various leadership opportunities. Latinas could also encounter various abuse from stereotypes in their workplaces, where they are regarded as unintelligent people or people that entered the country illegally. The analysis also revealed that the unique economic status of the women of color and showed that it is a heritage of slavery based on race. Various institutions had been established from a slavery point of view and leading to racism. The belief had already been established through slavery that black people were inferior compared to the white and they thus experienced an oppression that was based on racial bias.
Conclusion
The study showed that women of color still experience challenges in unemployment, housing, the wage gap, and wealth. However, they have advanced in the opening up of businesses. The economic conditions of women of color can be improved by placing legislation and policies that reduce their discrimination and improve their economic status. There is a need for women of color to hold more elective offices so that they can pass policies that improve their wellbeing. The population of colored women in the U.S. continues to grow, and there is a need to plan for their economic future. There is a need to provide training opportunities in the workplace that will ensure that women of color can fill the well-paying jobs. If left unresolved, the inequalities are likely to persist, and it places the individuals and their families at risk. The health of the economy is also placed at risk as it reduces the people’s purchasing power and raises an unprepared workforce.
References
Ahmad, F, & Iversion, S. (2013). The state of women of color in the United States. American Progress. https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/StateOfWomenColor-1.pdf
Carter, D. R., & Peters, T. (2016). The underrepresentation of African American women in executive leadership: What’s getting in the way. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly , 7 (4), 115-134.
Lecture Notes – Why Race, Class, Gender, Matter. (2021). Why Race, Class, Gender, Matter.
Equity ripples: Women of color face the highest rent burden in Bay Area. (2019). KTVU https://www.ktvu.com/news/equity-ripples-women-of-color-face-highest-rent-burden-in-bay-area .
Status of Women Data. (2013) Spotlight on Women of Color: Employment and Earnings Data 2013 . https://statusofwomendata.org/women-of-color/spotlight-on-women-of-color-employment-and-earnings-data/
Williams, V. (2017). Report: Black women are working hard, but our country is not working for them. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/08/report-black-women-are-working-hard-but-our-country-is-not-working-for-them/ .
