"From A Toehold to a Foothold: Economic Status
and Empowerment of Black Women"
by
Julianne Malveaux

Based on 1986 economic data, it is easy to describe Black women as the "have nots," but it is imperative to describe Black women as the "haves" and to view Black women's strengths and formulate ways to harness those strengths into economic power. Whether wage and salary workers or not, white males had the highest median income of all persons in 1984. Their incomes are followed by those of Black men, white women, and, finally, Black women. Although the effects of education and age are similar by race, differentials persist, even among the most educated. A Black woman who is a college graduate and works full time has about as much income as a white male high-school dropout and less than a white male high-school graduate. Black women have consistently experienced more unemployment than other women have, with Black women's unemployment levels tending to be close to those of Black men but more than twice those of white men and women. One of the greatest differences in the status of Black and white women is occupational status: 44% of Black women tend to be employed in lower-paying, lower-level, pink- and blue-collar occupations like manufacturing, service and private household work. It is essential for Black women to use what they have more effectively and get more than what they currently have. Without intervention, it is likely that the gains made since the passage of the Civil Rights Act may erode because of a hostile administration, the weakening of legislation and a set of problems plaguing young Blacks that have long-term implications.