the tennessee report card indicators of social and … · 2020. 2. 7. · source: iwpr calculations...

THE TENNESSEE

REPORT CARD:

INDICATORS OF

SOCIAL AND

ECONOMIC WELL-

BEING FOR WOMEN

www.iwpr.org | www.statusofwomendata.org |@IWPResearch

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN’S POLICY

RESEARCH (IWPR)

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research conducts and

communicates research to inspire public dialogue, shape

policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of

women of diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and

experiences.

Status of

Women

STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE STATES TOPICS

Political

Participation

Employment & Earnings

Poverty &

Opportunity

Work & Family

Violence &

SafetyReproductive

Rights

Health & Well-Being

TENNESSEE’S REPORT CARD

Improved

Since

Subject Grade Rank 2015?

Political Participation D- 38 N/A

Employment & Earnings D+ 38 No

Work & Family D 41 N/A

Poverty & Opportunity D 40 Yes

Reproductive Rights D- 47 N/A

Health & Well-Being D- 45 N/A

MORE TENNESSEE WOMEN REGISTER AND VOTE

THAN MEN, EVEN DURING MIDTERMS

More women registered to vote than men

(63% of women, 59% of men)

More women voted than men

(49% of women, 47% of men)

Note: Includes those aged 18 and older.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2018.

WOMEN ARE VASTLY UNDERREPRESENTED IN

POLITICAL OFFICE

Tennessee 2018:

0% of US Senators

22% of US Representatives

16% of State Legislators

Source: Center on American Women and Politics.

Tennessee 2019:

50% of US Senators

0% of US Representatives

15% of State Legislators

TENNESSEE WOMEN, ESPECIALLY MOTHERS,

WORK

56%

66%

Women in the labor force

Moms with kids under 5 yrs old

in the labor force

26% Women working part-time

Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata.

WOMEN EARN LESS THAN COMPARABLY

EDUCATED MEN

$36,0

00

$22,0

00

$28,0

00

$34,1

00

$48,0

00

$45,0

00

$29,0

00

$36,0

00

$46,0

00

$70,0

00

Total Less than High

School

High school Some college

or AA degree

Bachelor's or

higher

Earnings by Education Level, Tennessee

Women Men


WOMEN ARE CONCENTRATED IN LOWER-WAGE

JOBS

TN women’s median annual earnings:

$21,000

TN women’s median annual earnings:

$50,000

55%

45%

Service Occupations

Women Men

45%

55%

Management, Business,

and Financial Occupations

Women Men


TENNESSEE RANKS IN THE BOTTOM THIRD FOR

WOMEN’S EARNINGS

Median Annual

Earnings

$35,000


WOMEN OF COLOR EARN FAR LESS

Hispanic women in Tennessee earn

$21,000 less per year than White men.

Black women in Tennessee earn

$15,000 less per year than White men.


WOMEN HAVE A LONG WAIT FOR PAY EQUITY

The wage gap in Tennessee is

81%.

At the current rate of progress,

women in Tennessee will not earn

the same pay as men until

2054.

Note: Linear projection based on the rate of progress in closing the gender wage gap (the ratio of women's to

men's earnings among full-time, year-round workers aged 16 and older) since 1959.

Source: IWPR calculations based on the 1960 to 2000 Decennial Census (for the calendar years 1959, 1969,

1979, 1989, and 1999) and the 2001-2015 American Community Surveys.

TO PUT THE WAGE GAP INTO PERSPECTIVE

Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. The 2015-16 average undergraduate tuition and

required fees for in-state, full-time students in degree-granting public two-year institutions in Tennessee is $3,940.

CLOSING THE GENDER WAGE GAP WOULD

CUT POVERTY DRAMATICALLY

Source: IWPR calculations based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic

supplements, 2014-2016, for calendar years 2013-2015.

8.1

%

34.8

%

4.0

%

18.2

%

All Working Women

(-50.6%)

Working Single Mothers

(-47.7%)

Poverty Rates With and Without Equal Pay

Current

If working women earned the same as

comparable men

TENNESSEE WOMEN’S POVERTY RATES ARE

HIGHER THAN MEN’S

1 in 4 Black women

live in poverty.

Hispanic women

are twice as likely

to be in poverty as

White women.


ECONOMIC SECURITY GOES POVERTY FOR

TENNESSEE FAMILIES

68%

27%

49%

61%

67% 66%

85%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

All Single Womenwith Children

Single Men withChildren

Single Womenwithout Children

Single Menwithout Children

Married Coupleswith Children

Married Coupleswithout Children

Notes: Children are under the age of 19 and the number of children is capped at 6 to make it comparable to the BEST indices. Married couples include

cohabiting partners.

Source: IWPR analysis of five years (2012–2016) of data from American Community Survey (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Version 7.0) and the Basic

Economic Security Tables Index.

Percent of Households with Economic Security by Household Type, 2016

EQUAL PAY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO BLACK

AND HISPANIC WOMEN IN TENNESSEE

69%74%

54%

46%

73%

60%

73%77%

65%

42%

74%69%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

All White Black Hispanic Asian/PacificIslander

OtherRace/Ethnicity

Women Men

Notes: Includes working adults aged 19–64. Racial groups are non-Hispanic.

Sources: IWPR analysis of five years (2012–2016) of data from American Community Survey (Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Version 7.0) and the

Basic Economic Security Tables Index.

Percent of Working Adults Living with Economic Security by Gender and

Race/Ethnicity, 2016

TENNESSEE FAMILIES INCREASINGLY RELY ON

WOMEN’S EARNINGS

About 1/2 of White

and Hispanic mother

are breadwinners

More than 4 out of 5

Black mothers are

breadwinners

Black breadwinner

mothers are much

more likely to be

single than married

21.4% 27.4%

63.7%

29.2%

17.8%

19.1%

49.4% 54.8%

17.2%

White MotherHouseholds(n=450,592)

Hispanic MotherHouseholds(n=38,198)

Black MotherHouseholds(n=108,609)

Percent of Households with a Single Mother Breadwinner

Percent of Households with a Married Mother Breadwinner

Percent of Households without a Breadwinner Mother

Notes: A breadwinner mother is defined as a single mother who heads a household (irrespective of earnings) or a married mother who earns at least 40

percent of the couple's joint earnings; single mothers who live in someone else's household (such as with their parents) are not included in breadwinners.

Racial categories are non-Hispanic. Data, calculated using three-year averages (2012-2014), include households with a mother and children under age 18.


WOMEN ARE THE MAJORITY OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS

One in three workers has kids under 18.

A third of families with kids are headed by a single parent.

One in seven women under 65 lives with an adult with a disability.

10,000 baby boomers a day will turn 65 until 2030.1

The number of men and women age 50 plus who provide care for someone age 65 plus tripled in the last 15 years.2

Sources:

Pew Research Center. 2010. Baby Boomers Retire.

MetLife, 2011. “The MetLife Study of Caregiving Costs to Working Caregivers: Double Jeopardy for Baby Boomers Caring for

Their Parents.”

TENNESSEE LACKS WORK-FAMILY POLICIES

Paid leave legislation including:

Temporary Disability Insurance for All Workers

Statewide Paid Family Care Leave

Paid Sick Days

Sources:

National Partnership for Women and Families. 2016. Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help New Parents.

TRENDS IN TENNESSEE WOMEN’S HEALTH &

WELL-BEING ARE MIXED

Where women’s health improved:

Heart disease deathsLung cancer deathsBreast cancer deathsAIDS incidence for women

Where women’s health worsened:

DiabetesMental health—MUCH worse!SuicideActivity limitations due to health

HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR BLACK WOMEN ARE

WORSE ACROSS A RANGE OF MEASURES

Source: IWPR compilation of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

22.0

2.3

6.9

20.7

0.6

5.7

29.6

10.111.4

15.5

0.9

5.2

14.6

1.9

6.6

Breast Cancer Mortality

Rate, 2014-2016

(per 100,000)

Diagnoses of AIDS, 2016

(per 100,000)

Infant Mortality Rate,

2013-2015 (per 1,000)

All Women White Black Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander

WHAT CAN BE DONE –

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Topic Recommendation

Political

Participation

1. Strengthen the pipeline for women in elected office.

2. Remove restrictive voter identification laws.

Employment &

Earnings

1. Expose girls to “non-traditional” occupations.

2. Raise the minimum wage.

3. Ban employer’s from requiring salary history.

Work & Family1. Supplement child care subsidies for women in training or education.

2. Pass paid leave legislation.

Poverty &

Opportunity

1. Invest in scholarships and grants for women of color.

2. Defend the social safety net.

3. Invest in supports that can help single mothers complete college

Health &

Well-Being

1. Expand access to health services to address disparities,

2. Ensure that all women have access to prenatal and infant care.

INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN’S POLICY RESEARCH

www.iwpr.org | www.statusofwomendata.org |@IWPResearch

ELYSE SHAW

STUDY DIRECTOR

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

the tennessee report card indicators of social and … · 2020. 2. 7. · source: iwpr calculations...

Documents