Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and the Economy
IWPR’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, Gender and the Economy conducts original research and policy analysis using intersectional and racial equity frameworks to better understand the experiences of women of color, their families and communities in the economy and society.
The Longest Time to Equal Pay: Latinas and the Wage Gap
Latina women are paid less than White men in all states with sufficient sample sizes. They will not see equal pay until 2206.
Almost a Year and a Half Later, Black Women Continue to Be Hard-Hit by the Pandemic
The disappointing September jobs report revealed that just 235,000 new jobs were created in August. It also showed an unemployment rate on the decline: falling from 5.9 percent in June to 5.4 percent in July, then to 5.2 percent in August. This is just over one-third of the 14.8 percent unemployment rate at the peak of the pandemic in April of 2020. Figure 1 below, however, shows how the unemployment rate breaks down by sex, race, and ethnicity. Not only do Black workers have unemployment rates substantially higher than their White and Asian counterparts, they are also the only [...]
A Decade with No Improvement: Native Women and the Wage Gap
Native American and Alaska Native women are paid less than White men in all states with sufficient sample sizes—with little progress towards equity over the last decade.
Shortchanged and Underpaid: Black Women and the Pay Gap
The COVID-19 pandemic and related recession has both highlighted the persistent inequalities that Black women face in the labor market and exacerbated them. Black women were overrepresented in many low-paying jobs that were recognized as “essential” during the pandemic, but had often been dismissed as “low-skilled” before. [...]