{"id":7094,"date":"2025-06-01T00:27:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T00:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=7094"},"modified":"2025-05-27T23:53:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T23:53:00","slug":"work-without-reward-the-reality-for-black-women-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=7094","title":{"rendered":"Work, Without Reward: The Reality for Black Women on the Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Stacy M. Brown<\/a><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Black women remain the backbone of the U.S. labor force \u2014 working more, earning less, and bearing burdens across nearly every sector. Even as the country added 177,000 jobs in April, Black women lost 106,000 positions, the steepest decline of any group. Their unemployment rate jumped to 6.1%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.<\/p>\n

But the losses go far deeper than a single month of data.<\/p>\n

Research shows Black women are not only overrepresented in low-wage industries like care, cleaning, education, and food service \u2014 they are also consistently denied advancement and paid significantly less than white male peers, even with the same credentials.<\/p>\n

In its July 2024 report, the Institute for Women\u2019s Policy Research (IWPR)<\/a> found Black women working full-time, year-round earned just 69.1 cents for every dollar paid to white men. That figure drops to 49.6 cents in states like Louisiana.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack women consistently have higher labor force participation rates than other demographics of women,\u201d officials from the National Partnership for Women and Families wrote<\/a>. Yet those higher participation rates have not translated into pay equity or job security.<\/p>\n

The earnings gap grows wider with age. For example, Black women aged 56 to 65 working full-time, year-round, earn just 59.3 cents for every dollar paid to white men in the same age group.<\/p>\n

Those in leadership roles report disproportionately high dissatisfaction with pay and access to advancement, with 90% of women of color in management saying systemic barriers hinder workplace progress.<\/p>\n

Additionally, according to a 2022 Health Affairs report<\/a>, more than one in five Black women in the labor force are in health care \u2014 more than any other group. However, nearly two-thirds of them work as licensed practical nurses or aides, and 40% are in long-term care. These roles are among the lowest-paid and highest-risk in the industry, often involving grueling schedules, poor benefits, and unsafe conditions.<\/p>\n

Beyond health care, the National Employment Law Project<\/a> found that more than half of Black women work in jobs where they are overrepresented, such as childcare, janitorial work, and food preparation. Meanwhile, they remain underrepresented in high-wage fields like tech, law, and executive management \u2014 even when they hold the degrees and credentials to qualify.<\/p>\n

In Boston, Charity Wallace, a 37-year-old biotech professional, and Chassity Coston, a 35-year-old middle school principal, both say they\u2019re leaning heavily on community and mental health strategies to cope with workplace challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a constant fight of belonging and really having your girlfriends or your homegirls or my mom and my sister,\u201d Wallace told NBC News. \u201cI complain to them every day about something that\u2019s going on at work. So having that circle of Black women that you can really vent to is important because, again, you cannot let things like this sit. We\u2019ve been silenced for too long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Limited opportunities for promotion and sponsorship compound the isolation many Black women feel in their workplaces. In 2024, writer Tiffani Lambie described the \u201cinvisible struggle for Black women\u201d at work.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe concept of \u2018Black Girl Magic\u2019 contributes to the notion that Black women are superheroes,\u201d she wrote. \u201cAlthough the intent of this movement was to empower and celebrate the uniqueness of Black women, the perception has also put Black women at greater risk of anxiety and depression\u2014conditions that are more chronic and intense in Black women than in others.\u201d<\/p>\n

She warned that workplace conditions \u2014 marked by fear, lack of support, and erasure \u2014 threaten to push more Black women out of leadership and career pipelines.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf left untouched, the number of Black women in leadership and beyond will continue to decline,\u201d Lambie wrote. \u201cIt is incumbent on everyone to account for these experiences and create an equitable and safe environment for everyone to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Urban Institute<\/a> recently spoke with a Black woman who transitioned from part-time fast food work to a full-time data entry role after completing a graduate degree. The job offered her better pay, health insurance, and stability.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives you a sense of focus, determination,\u201d she said. \u201cNow, I can build my career path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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