Status of women in eastern North Carolina

Institute for Women s Policy Research Briefing Paper www.iwpr.org IWPR #R377 July 2013 The Status of Women in Eastern North Carolina Women in Eastern North Carolina, and in North Carolina as a whole, have made significant progress during the last few decades, but more remains to be done to elevate women’s status. The majority of women participate in the labor force — often in professional or managerial jobs — and make important contributions to the economic health of their communities. Yet, in some ways women’s status still lags behind men’s, and not all women are prospering equally. This briefing paper provides basic information about the status of women in Eastern North Carolina, focusing on women’s earnings and workforce participation, level of education, poverty, access to child care, and health status. It also provides basic demographic information about women in this area. Basic Facts About Women in Eastern North Carolina The racial and ethnic distribution of the female population in Eastern North Carolina is fairly similar to the state as a whole. More than one in three women and girls in Eastern North Carolina (37 percent) and the state (35 percent) are from a minority racial or ethnic group. Black women and girls in Eastern North Carolina make up a somewhat larger share of the female population than in North Carolina overall (30 Figure 1. Distribution of Women and Girls by Race and Ethnicity in Eastern North Carolina, All Ages, 2009-2011 1% Asian 1% 2% Other 30% Black 63% White Note: Racial and ethnic categories are exclusive: white, not Hispanic; black, not Hispanic; Asian American, not Hispanic; American Indian, not Hispanic; and Other, not Hispanic. Hispanics may be of any race. “Other” includes those who identify with two or more racial categories and those whom the Census Bureau did not classify. Total does not sum to 100 percent due to rounding. Source: IWPR analysis of 2009 201 1 Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) American Community Survey microdata (Ruggles et al. 20 Ю). 1 200 1 8th Street, NW* Suite 30 1 ♦ Washington, DC 20036 ♦ (202) 785-5 1 00 ♦ www.iwpr.org