In total, 14.5 percent of American women lived in poverty in 2012, compared to 11 percent of men. According to the National Women's Law Center, poverty rates are even higher for black women (25.1 percent are living in poverty) and Hispanic women (24.8 percent).
That shows in the U.S., where about 60 percent of the increase in employment for women from 2009 to 2012 was in jobs that pay less than $10.10 an hour, compared with 20 percent for men, according to a study by the National Women’s Law Center using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yvette's story comes from a recent report on pregnancy discrimination by the National Women's Law Center, which documents that the problem is widespread in our country. Such discrimination can happen to any woman, but low-wage workers like Yvette are especially vulnerable.
That’s Indiana’s wage gap. It makes us the sixth worst state in the nation. It’s legit, based on newly released U.S. Census data analyzed by the National Women’s Law Center. I wrote about it, including what that $12,201 could buy a woman in a year.
Fatima Goss Graves, who tracks poverty and employment stats at the National Women's Law Center, called the poverty numbers a "disaster." She's seen the same dynamics facing the most vulnerable group in the American economy since the end of the recession.
Women comprise more than 20% of engineering school graduates but only 11% of practicing engineers, according to the National Science Foundation. Only about 30% of the 14 million Americans who work in manufacturing are women, a study from the National Women's Law Center noted.
As of 2012, women who worked year-round and at full-time hours were still found to earn only 77 cents for every dollar of income flowing to men in the same position. Similarly, black and Latino households continue to have a significantly lower median income than their white counterparts.
The downside is that the gains have been largely in lower-paying industries such as waitresses, in-home health care, food preparation and housekeeping.
Full-time working women in Indiana are losing out on more than $12,200 each year compared to their male counterparts, due to one of the nation's worst wage gaps. For every dollar a man makes in Indiana, a woman makes 73.3 cents, according to U.S. Census data released Thursday and analyzed by the National Women's Law Center. That gives the state the sixth highest wage gap in the U.S.
The National Women’s Law Center partnered with MomsRising, an advocacy group for women and families, and other children’s organizations to bring moms, kids, and leaders together over the game.
