Facts on Working Women. Black Women in the Labor Force

摘要

Black women have made great progress in improving their economic status over thepast decade. Between 1986 and 1996, unemployment declined from 14.2 percent to 10.0 percent; teenage unemployment (ages 16-19) dropped from 39.2 percent to 30.3 percent; total employment grew from 5.4 million to 7.1 million; and employment in the high-paying managerial and professional occupations increased from 900,000 to 1.6 million. Black women continued to have greater labor force attachment than white or Hispanic women at the high school graduate and college graduate levels of educational attainment in 1996. The number of black women who own their own businesses is constantly rising--up to 277,246 in 1992. Despite these gains, black women, in general, face various stern realities. With women and minorities comprising a large segment of tomorrow's labor force entrants, government (federal, state, and local) and the private American business community must learn to satisfy their labor needs by confronting all the obstacles that hinder these persons from becoming a part of the economic mainstream. In turn, the labor force entrants of tomorrow must prepare themselves with the necessary education training and technical skills in order to take advantage of meaningful and profitable employment opportunities.