Key findings on the economic status of women in North Carolina

Institute for Women s Policy Research Fact Sheet IWPR# R356 August 2012 Key Findings on the Economic Status of Women in North Carolina Women in North Carolina have made significant social and economic advances in recent decades, but the need for further progress remains. A forthcoming report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), The Status of Women in North Carolina, shows that many of North Carolina’s women are vulnerable to challenges such as unemployment, a persistent wage gap, poverty, and the high cost of child care. In addition, women in the state experience stubborn disparities in opportunities and outcomes — disparities that exist among women of different race and ethnic groups as well as among women from various geographic areas within the state. Addressing these challenges and disparities is essential to promoting the well-being and vibrancy of North Carolina’s many communities. When women thrive, whole communities and regions thrive as well. The forthcoming report provides critical data to identify both areas of progress for women in North Carolina and places where additional improvements are still needed.1 The report analyzes key issues — such as employment and earnings, economic security and poverty, health and well-being, and political participation — that profoundly affect the lives of women in North Carolina. It presents data that can serve as a resource for advocates, researchers, community leaders, policymakers, and others who seek to analyze and discuss community investments, program initiatives, and public policies that will lead to positive change for women in the state of North Carolina and nationwide. The study is funded by the North Carolina Council for Women, the Wells Fargo Foundation, Women for Women with the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, the Women to Women Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, the Women's Giving Circle at the Community Foundation of Cumberland County, the Mountain Area Health and Education Center Department of OB-GYN, and the Women’s Fund at the North Carolina Community Foundation. Preliminary findings show both progress and continued challenges for women in relation to unemployment; education, earnings, and the gender wage gap; and economic security and poverty. Women’s Labor Force Participation and Unemployment • Women’s increased participation in the labor force marks an important change in the national economy across the last six decades. Nearly six in ten women are now in the workforce (U.S. Department of Commerce 2012a), compared to 34 percent of women in 1950 and 43 percent of women in 1970 (Fullerton 1999). Women’s labor force participation in North Carolina reflects this trend; as of 2010, 59 percent of women were active in the workforce. The increase in women’s labor force participation in North Carolina, and the nation as a whole, points to the workforce opportunities available to women and to the financial need for many women to work outside the home. WELLS FARGO Women s Policy Research 1200 18th Street, Suite 301 IWashington, DC 200361 202/ 785-5100 1 www.iwpr.org I www, iwpr.org/blog