RACE AND GENDER BELOW THE MASON-DIXON Advancing the Status of Women of Color in the South
2:00 EST - Wednesday March 30
DID YOU KNOW?
Among women in the South, Black women have the highest poverty rate at 25.5 percent, followed by Latina women at 23.4 percent and Native American women at 20.9 percent.
Nationally, 17 states fund abortions for low-income women who are eligible for Medicaid in all or most medically necessary circumstances. West Virginia is the only southern state to do so.
Closing the gender wage gap would reduce the poverty rate for working women in the southern U.S. by more than half.
Research carried out by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research across six different topic areas related to women’s economic well-being, political access, health, and social status showed that with the exception of Washington DC, no state in the South was graded higher than a C- overall.
There are more Black mothers who are primary breadwinners for their families in the South (1.6 million) than in all other states combined (1.5 million).
While women of color in the South have seen gains in educational attainment, business ownership, and voter turnout, they also face disproportionately high poverty rates and lower earnings than men or white women. What can be done to speed up the pace of progress for women of color in the South? What unique intersectional challenges does this population face and how can we advance policies that meet their needs?
"Race and Gender Below the Mason-Dixon: Advancing the Status of Women of Color in the South" will feature Heidi Hartmann, Chandra Childers, Charmaine Davis, Jaribu Hill, and Gina Brown, who will discuss the most pressing barriers to equality facing women of color in the South. The conversation will focus on advancing the political and economic power of women of color in the South, including millennial women, older women, immigrant women, rural women, LGBT women, and women with disabilities.
Join the conversation on social media using the hashtags #WhyWeCantWait and #HerDreamDeferred!
LEARN MORE ABOUT ALL THE #HERDREAMDEFERRED ACTIVITIES AND RSVP FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK: bit.ly/hdd2016
About the AfricanAmericanPolicyForum Founded in 1996, AAPF was developed as part of an ongoing effort to promote women’s rights in the context of struggles for racial equality. It serves as an information clearinghouse that works to bridge the gap between scholarly research and public debates on questions of inequality, discrimination and injustice.
