League of Women Voters Tennessee State Conference October 13, 2001 The Status of Women in Tennessee.
-
Upload
horace-burke -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
1
Transcript of League of Women Voters Tennessee State Conference October 13, 2001 The Status of Women in Tennessee.
League of Women VotersTennessee State ConferenceOctober 13, 2001
The Status of Women
in Tennessee
The Status of Women in Tennessee
Based on research conducted in conjunction with the
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Presentation by
Center for Research on Women University of Memphis
Tennessee Economic Council on Women
Local Co-Sponsors
American Association of University Women (Memphis Branch)
Center for Women’s Health Improvement, UT-Memphis Church Women United Girls Incorporated League of Women Voters of Memphis-Shelby County Memphis Center for Reproductive Health Memphis Regional Planned Parenthood Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center
Local Co-Sponsors (cont.)
National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Memphis Chapter
National Council of Jewish Women National Organization for Women (Memphis Chapter) Network of Memphis Tennessee Women's Political Caucus United Methodist Women Women Business Owners Contract Alliance Network Women in Business Advisory Council Women in Leadership Program, The University of Memphis
Local Co-Sponsors (cont.)
Women of Achievement Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis Young Women's Christian Association
For financial support of this event, special thanks to: Mickey Babcock; Center for Research on Women Donors' Fund; Center for Women’s Health Improvement-UT, Memphis; Network of Memphis; Office of the President, The University of Memphis; Public Service Fund, The University of Memphis; and Karen B. Shea.
Women by Race/Ethnicity (As % of Total, 1995)
Race/Ethnicity Tennessee United States
African Amer. 16.8 12.8
Latino 0.8 9.8
Asian Amer. 0.8 3.6
Native Amer. 0.2 0.8
White 81.4 73.0
Key Points
Demographics for African American women in Tennessee demand special consideration
Latina women have been undercounted and their representation in Tennessee continues to grow
““Unusual” DemographicsUnusual” Demographics(1990)(1990)
Item Tennessee United States
% WomenWho AreForeign-Born 1.2% 7.9%
% WomenWho Live inMetro Areas
73.8% 83.1%
Women’s Labor Force Participation, by Race (1997)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Tennessee UnitedStates
White
African American
Key Points
African American women in Tennessee are more likely to be working than women nation-wide whether they are single, married, or single heads of household
Women in Tennessee with children under one year old are more likely to be working than their national counterparts
Median Annual Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (1997)
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
Tennessee UnitedStates
Women
Men
Women’s Occupational Distribution (1998)
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Mgers/Prof.
Clerical/Sales
Service
Operators
Craft
United States
Tennessee
Wages in Tennessee by Gender of Job (1998)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%W
ages
< $
6.75
Wag
es $
6.76
-$1
1.25
Wag
es >
$11
.26
Female-DominatedJobsGender-Neutral Jobs
Male-Dominated Jobs
Educational Attainment of Women, Aged 25 and Older (1998)
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
LessthanH.S.
H.S.Grad
(Only)
Four orMoreYears
ofCollege
TennesseeUnited States
Women’s Education & Earnings in Tennessee (1979 & 1997)
Education Earnings % Change1979-97
< 12th Grade $14,877 -5.7%High SchoolOnly $18,230 -3.8%
College Grad $29,276 +15.3%
College Plus $32,588 +0.1%
Women’s Education and the Wage Gap in Tennessee
Education Female/MaleEarnings
% Chng. inRatio ‘79-‘97
< 12th Grade 72.8% +14.1%High SchoolOnly 67.2% +11.5%
College Grad 62.6% +10.7%
College Plus 55.2% -20.0%
Key Points
Women’s earnings are influenced by the overall distribution of lower wage jobs in Tennessee
Women are concentrated in the lowest wage jobs
Education is an issue, but gender depresses wages even when education is taken into account
Poverty Rates for Single Women and Men, 1997
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
SingleWomen
SingleMen
TennesseeUnited States
Family Poverty Rates, 1997
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%
AllFamilies
Mar.Cpls. W/
Kids
Sgl.WomenW/ Kids
Tennessee
United States
Wages by Family Type in Tennessee (1997)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
$5.15-7.49
$7.50-$9.99
$10.00+
Married Couple withChildren
Single Female withChildren
Male without Children
Female withoutChildren
Key Points
Mothers with children in poverty raise special concerns about “supported work.”
If unmarried poor mothers marry poor men, they are still likely to be below the “living wage.”
Women-Owned Firms (1992)
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
% FirmsWomen-Owned
%Increase,1987-92
%Increasein Sales
TennesseeUnited States
Women-Owned Firms, by Industry (1992)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
RetailTrade
Finance,Insurance,R. Estate
Services
Tennessee United States
Key Points
Women-owned businesses remain concentrated in low capital and low profit sectors
Growth reflects interest and efforts that can be nurtured and supported
Health Insurance Coverage in Tennessee, by Gender (1997)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
No Insur. EmployerIns.
(As Dep.) Public Ins.
WomenMen
Women’s Mortality Rates from Heart Disease (1991-1995)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Tennessee UnitedStates
All WomenWhite LatinoAfrican American
Women’s Mortality Rates from Breast Cancer (1991-1995)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Tennessee UnitedStates
All WomenAfrican AmericanWhite
Women in Office, Tennessee and United States (2000)
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
% WomenLegislators
% WomenAppointed
TennesseeUnited States
Voter Registration in Tennessee and the United States (1996)
Women tend to register and to vote at rates slightly higher than men. This is true both in Tennessee and the U.S. as a whole. Two-thirds of Tennessee women are registered to vote.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
% Recip.Registered
TennesseeUnited States