THE TENNESSEE REPORT CARD: INDICATORS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC WELLBEING 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 IN THE STATES TOPICS Employment & Earnings Poverty & Opportunity Political Participation Health & Well-Being Status of Women Reproductive Rights Violence & Safety Work & Family TENNESSEE’S REPORT CARD Subject Grade Improved Since 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 Tennessee 2019: 50% of US Senators 22% of US Representatives 0% of US Representatives 15% of State Legislators 16% of State Legislators Source: Center on American Women and Politics. TENNESSEE WOMEN, ESPECIALLY MOTHERS, WORK 56% Women in the labor force Moms with kids under 5 yrs old in the labor force 26% 66% Women working part-time Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. WOMEN EARN LESS THAN COMPARABLY EDUCATED MEN Total Less than High School High school Women Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. $48,000 $46,000 $34,100 $36,000 $28,000 $29,000 $22,000 $45,000 $36,000 $70,000 Earnings by Education Level, Tennessee Some college Bachelor's or or AA degree higher Men WOMEN ARE CONCENTRATED IN LOWER-WAGE JOBS Service Occupations Management, Business, and Financial Occupations 45% 45% 55% Women Men TN women’s median annual earnings: $21,000 Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. 55% Women Men TN women’s median annual earnings: $50,000 TENNESSEE RANKS IN THE BOTTOM THIRD FOR WOMEN’S EARNINGS Median Annual Earnings $35,000 Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. 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. Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. 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 Poverty Rates With and Without Equal Pay 34.8% Current 4.0% 8.1% 18.2% If working women earned the same as comparable men All Working Women (-50.6%) Working Single Mothers (-47.7%) Source: IWPR calculations based on the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic supplements, 2014-2016, for calendar years 2013-2015. TENNESSEE WOMEN’S POVERTY RATES ARE HIGHER THAN MEN’S Hispanic women are twice as likely to be in poverty as White women. 1 in 4 Black women live in poverty. Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. ECONOMIC SECURITY GOES POVERTY FOR TENNESSEE FAMILIES Percent of Households with Economic Security by Household Type, 2016 90% 85% 80% 70% 68% 67% 66% 61% 60% 49% 50% 40% 27% 30% 20% 10% 0% All Single Women Single Men with Single Women Single Men Married Couples Married Couples with Children Children without Children without Children with Children without 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. EQUAL PAY IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO BLACK AND HISPANIC WOMEN IN TENNESSEE Percent of Working Adults Living with Economic Security by Gender and Race/Ethnicity, 2016 90% 80% 70% 69% 73% 74% 77% 73% 74% 69% 65% 60% 60% 54% 46% 50% 42% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% All White Black Women Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander 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. Other Race/Ethnicity TENNESSEE FAMILIES INCREASINGLY RELY ON WOMEN’S EARNINGS Percent of Households with a Single Mother Breadwinner About 1/2 of White and Hispanic mother are breadwinners Hispanic Mother Households (n=38,198) Black Mother Households (n=108,609) 17.2% 19.1% More than 4 out of 5 Black mothers are breadwinners 17.8% White Mother Households (n=450,592) 27.4% 29.2% 21.4% 49.4% 54.8% Percent of Households without a Breadwinner Mother 63.7% Percent of Households with a Married Mother Breadwinner Black breadwinner mothers are much more likely to be single than married 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. Source: IWPR analysis of American Community Survey microdata. 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 deaths Lung cancer deaths Breast cancer deaths AIDS incidence for women Where women’s health worsened: Diabetes Mental health—MUCH worse! Suicide Activity limitations due to health HEALTH OUTCOMES FOR BLACK WOMEN ARE WORSE ACROSS A RANGE OF MEASURES 29.6 22.0 20.7 15.5 14.6 11.4 10.1 6.9 5.7 2.3 Breast Cancer Mortality Rate, 2014-2016 (per 100,000) All Women White 0.6 6.6 0.9 1.9 Diagnoses of AIDS, 2016 (per 100,000) Black 5.2 Hispanic Source: IWPR compilation of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infant Mortality Rate, 2013-2015 (per 1,000) 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 & Family 1. 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. ELYSE SHAW STUDY DIRECTOR SHAW@IWPR.ORG INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN’S POLICY RESEARCH www.iwpr.org www.statusofwomendata.org @IWPResearch