Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.
This Briefing Paper is the second in a two-part series addressing the multiple disadvantages experienced by women, particularly women of color, in the areas hit by Katrina and Rita and in the areas in which many are now living. In Part 1, we discussed poverty among women and people of color in the Gulf Coast region and in the South more generally. In Part 2 we present data from before and after the storms, examine women’s role in the labor market in some detail prior to the hurricanes, and offer policy recommendations for reincorporating women into the workforce during and after the rebuilding period.