The Early Impact of Covid-19 on Job Losses among Black Women in the United States (original) (raw)
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Inequities in Employment by Race, Ethnicity, and Sector During COVID-19
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
Objective To determine whether people of Color experienced disparate levels of employment loss in frontline versus nonfrontline occupations during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey data was analyzed in a cross-sectional study. Percent change in number employed was tabulated quarterly for groups by race and ethnicity (Black or African American, Asian American, or Hispanic or Latinx compared to White or non-Hispanic or Latinx) and frontline occupation status between January 1 and June 30, 2020. Two-tailed two-sample tests of proportions were used to compare groups statistically. Results More dramatic declines in number employed occurred in the Black or African American, Asian American, and Hispanic or Latinx groups. When stratified by sector, greater declines were noted in the Hispanic or Latinx and Asian American frontline, and Black or African American non-frontline groups when compared to the referent groups. Conclusions Structural racism has further affected people of Color through differential employment loss during the onset of the pandemic, both overall and by sector. However, the effect of sector varies dramatically across racial and ethnic groups. Policy Implications Because employment is an important social determinant of health and a potential risk factor for contracting COVID-19, these trends may provide important context for the prioritization of PPE and immunizations, as well as the provision of stable health insurance and income support for vulnerable workers.
Labor Market Trajectories of Black Women in the United States, 1980 to 2010
2015
In light of several trends among Black women in the U.S., including rising levels of college degree attainment, immigration, and household headship, scholars have begun to more thoroughly explore the factors impacting Black women's labor market outcomes (e.g., employment status, earnings, and occupational prestige). Focusing on the 30-year period of 1980 to 2010, this dissertation applies theories of social and cultural capital, intersectionality, and social mobility to the examination of Black women's labor market trajectories according to their nativity (U.S.-vs. foreign-born status) and level of educational attainment (collegeeducated vs. non-college-educated). Additionally, this dissertation examines recent national data to determine which independent variables predict earnings for full-time Black women workers.
Black Americans’ Diminished Health Returns of Employment During COVID-19 Pandemic
International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health
Introduction: Employment is a major social determinant of health (SDoH) and core socioeconomic status (SES) indicator. This study used a nationally representative sample of American adults to test the association between employment and self-rated health (SRH) overall and by race. Methods: Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2020) Cycle 4, this analysis included 1403 individuals including 1109 (79%) non-Latinx White and 294 (21%) non-Latinx Black participants. The dependent variable was SRH, the independent variable was employment, and age, sex, marital status, education, and income were the covariates. Race was the moderator. Results: Employment was associated with better SRH overall. A significant statistical interaction reflected racial differences in the effect of employment (above and beyond education and income) on SRH by race. The protective health effects of employment on SRH were weaker for non-Latinx Black than non-Latinx White individuals. ...
2020
Author(s): Ong, Paul; Gonzalez, Silvia; Pech, Chhandara; Diaz, Sonja; Ong, Jonathan; Ong, Elena; Aguilar, Julie | Abstract: This report examines the California labor force—both salary and wage earners—to identify workerswho are jobless as a result of COVID-19, and the direction and magnitude of racial/ethnic disparities.It examines the totality of the pandemic’s effect through mid-April 2020. Not all jobless individualsare properly considered in recent data on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on California’slabor force. An important distinction among COVID-19 jobless individuals is whether they receiveunemployment benefits. Since both the state and federal governments have addressed the pandemic’seconomic devastation to workers by expanding the Unemployment Insurance (“UI”) program, wecalculate the number of jobless Californians who are eligible for UI and those who are unable toreceive benefits. As officials have sought to “flatten the curve” and prevent the number of new cas...
Bulletin - Public Policies and Society's Responses, 2020
Conclusions The regional distribution of vulnerability groups is rather similar across the country. But there are nuances. Less developed regions, such as the North and Northeast, have a greater share of workers in essential sectors and with more fragile employment relationships. In the South, Southeast, and Midwest the highest vulnerability stems from the large presence of workers employed in non-essential sectors. The difference in vulnerability of men and women is the result of sectorial segregation: men are more present in essential sectors and women in non-essential sectors. The difference in vulnerability of black and white people is a result of differences in employment relationships: white people have more stable employment relationships and black people have more fragile employment relationships. The research revealed a new dimension of vulnerability: white men and white women are the “new vulnerable”: they mostly occupy sectors dominated by people with Complete Higher Education and more stable employment relationships, albeit in essential, highly affected, or non-essential sectors. Black men and black women comprise “traditionally vulnerable” social groups: they mostly occupy sectors dominated by fragile employment relationships. Black women are the most vulnerable group insofar that they are more present within non-essential sectors. The “traditionally vulnerable” are more vulnerable than the “new vulnerable”.
Women's Labor Force Exits during COVID-19: Differences by Motherhood, Race, and Ethnicity
Finance and Economics Discussion Series, 2021
In this paper, we study declines in women’s labor force participation by race and ethnicity as well as the presence of children. We find that increases in labor force exits were larger for Black women, Latinas, and women living with children. In particular, we find larger increases in pandemic-era labor force exits among women living with children under age 6 and among lower-earning women living with school-age children after controlling for detailed job and demographic characteristics. Latinas and Black women also had larger increases in labor force exits during the pandemic relative to White women. Differences in the presence of children and household structure explain one-quarter of the excess labor force exits among women of color.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Black and Hispanic Americans’ Work Outcomes: a Scoping Review
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
In early 2020, it was hypothesized that COVID-19 would lead to disproportionately negative health and work outcomes for Black and Hispanic adults, but sufficient data had yet been collected to fully support this claim. Now, we have empirical evidence, but little has been done to aggregate this information to fully understand its impact on these communities. Utilizing 44 articles from a scoping review of three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Business Source Complete), this study seeks to identify the primary work-related risks that help explain Black and Hispanic adults' disparate COVID-19-related work outcomes (e.g., loss of hours, job disruption, stress). Findings illuminate four primary risks faced by Black and Hispanic workers: (1) being an essential worker, (2) type of work performed, (3) workplace factors; and (4) community and geographic factors. We conclude with policy recommendations that will help inform policy and practice for economic recovery from the pandemic for other marginalized populations.
Upgraded to Bad Jobs: Low-Wage Black Women’s Relative Status since 1970
Labor market changes complicate the analysis of black women’s status relative to white women because education, occupational attainment, and race–gender are now less predictive of earnings. Low-wage black women’s relative status has improved somewhat from 1970 to 2000, contrary to the well-documented decrease in relative status reported for all black women wage earners since 1980, but their dramatic occupational upgrading was not responsible for the trend. White-collar occupational positions formerly responsible for white women’s relative earnings advantage no longer deliver that reward, as restructuring has produced a proliferation of bad jobs across occupational groups. This study argues that increasing exposure to precarious work is crucial to understanding changes in low-wage black women’s relative economic status since 1970.
Forum for Social Economics, 2024
This paper examines changes in occupational crowding of immigrant women in frontline industries in the United States during the onset of COVID-19, and we contextualize their experiences against the backdrop of broader race-based and gender-based occupational crowding. Building on the occupational crowding hypothesis, which suggests that marginalized workers are crowded in a small number of occupations to prop up wages of socially-privileged workers, we hypothesize that immigrant, Black, and Hispanic workers were shunted into frontline work to prop up the health of others during the pandemic. Our analysis of American Community Survey microdata indicates that immigrant workers, particularly immigrant women, were increasingly crowded in frontline work during the onset of the pandemic. We also find that US-born Black and Hispanic workers disproportionately faced COVID-19 exposure in their work, but were not increasingly crowded into frontline occupations following the onset of the pandemic. The paper also provides a rationale for considering the occupational crowding hypothesis along the dimensions of both wages and occupational health.