A lot of work needs to happen when recognizing the value women, especially moms, bring to the workforce. But most importantly, the impact of Black women and moms, in particular, is significantly overlooked. Black women have the highest labor force participation out of all females in the United States. Still, even so, there continue to be disparities in their pay, promotion, and general recognition.
The fact of the matter is that our economy relies on the labor of Black women/moms, and it’s up to everyone, from the entry-level employees to the CEOs, to start seeing and rewarding their incredible contributions.
The Contributions of Black Women to the Labor Force
In 2020, out of all female adults in the United States, 56.2% contributed to the labor force. When you break the female population down by race, 58.8% of Black women participated in the labor force, ranking higher than any other group (disproportionate to the total number of working women).
As for moms who work outside the home, the labor force participation rate is highest for Black moms at 76%, with the next highest being 71.3% for white moms. Narrowing the focus down a bit, in 2019, 80% of Black moms were the breadwinner for their families. Additionally, in 2015, the research found that, on average, both single and married Black moms worked more hours in a given year than their white and Hispanic counterparts did.
In terms of higher education, Black women outperform Black men significantly. Within the Black community, women hold two-thirds of all bachelor’s degrees, 70% of all master's degrees, and 60% of all doctorate degrees. Following this same pattern, Black women make up the vast majority of enrollments in law, dental, and medical schools compared to Black men.
Of the female labor force, Black women hold 36% of all management positions and 55% of all service and sales jobs. But, out of all high-level leadership positions (all genders), Black women only hold 1.6% of VP roles and 1.4% of C-Level jobs, despite accounting for 7.6% of the total population in the United States.
What Does All This Data Mean?
There are a lot of numbers up here, and they’re a lot to take in individually, let alone collectively, so here’s a simple breakdown:
- The majority of all adult Black women work outside the home in some way
- Most Black moms work outside the house, and 80% of them are the breadwinners
- On average, Black moms work more hours in a year than white or Hispanic moms
- Black women hold the vast majority of all bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees earned within the Black community
- Black women make up the majority of all Black students enrolled in law, medical, and dental schools
- Out of all women in the workforce, Black women hold a little more than one-third of all management positions and over half of all service and sales jobs
- Despite all of this fantastic data, Black women hold a disproportionately small number of VP and C-Level roles
Ongoing Challenges
It’s clear that Black women carry a lot of economic responsibility, but despite the extra hours worked, the advanced degrees, and the evident dedication, the professional playing field is still far from level. Data shows that Black women earn less money, are underrepresented in leadership, don’t feel valued at work, and more.
There is a gender pay gap between men and women across the board (women make $.82 for every $1 man makes), especially between Black women and white men. For every dollar, a white man with the same level of education makes, a Black woman makes:
- $.763 (less than a high school diploma)
- $.68 (high school diploma, no college)
- $.665 (some college or associate’s degree)
- $.654 (bachelor’s degree)
- $.698 (advanced degree)
This data also shows that not only are Black women making less than white men, but they’re also making less than average for women. Based on these numbers, Black women earn between $.06 and $.17 less than the average for women.
At the end of 2020, a Gallup study found that Black women felt the least valued and respected at work of all men and women. The study also found that only 13% of Black women believed in good job opportunities in their community. Only 27% thought they had the same opportunities for advancement as anyone else.
COVID-19 Challenges
The pandemic created new challenges for everyone, especially moms who work outside the home. However, it disproportionately affected Black women and Black moms, and even as the United States starts moving back to normalcy, the lasting effects are still hardest on Black women.
First, service industries were hit the hardest from the pandemic, with mass layoffs and often unsafe working conditions. Black women make up 55% of all women in service and sales jobs, so they were more likely to lose their jobs or be forced to leave an unsafe environment. Additionally, childcare became pricey, unreliable, or non-existent for many families during the pandemic. Since 76% of Black moms work outside the home, and 80% of them are their family’s primary source of income, the strain was particularly difficult for them. Finally, for anyone unemployed for an extended period (whether voluntarily or not), returning to the workforce and finding a job with similar pay and benefits is extremely difficult. Since Black women were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, they are also disproportionately affected by the slow recovery.
What Employers Can Do
There is a clear imbalance between Black women's contributions to the workforce and the compensation they get in return (whether it’s monetary, growth, or otherwise). To rectify, employers have to do the work to ensure equity at all levels of the organization, such as:
- Establish a diversity and inclusion board to ensure Black women representation in all levels of the company, from entry-level to C-suite
- Create, prioritize, and enforce more equitable hiring practices (for both external and internal hires)
- Ensure managers are regularly checking in and engaging with all of their employees so that every team member feels equally seen and heard
- Be transparent with all employees in efforts to improve diversity and inclusion, as well as provide regular updates with details on progress
- Offer advanced training and education opportunities to all employees, which will help level the playing field when it comes to advancement and promotions
- Implement more/improved policies, training, and resources to encourage allyship (and punish blatant discrimination and or racism)
An employer cannot fix a problem if they do not understand all of the different parts because even something that’s mostly repaired is still broken. If they genuinely want to improve, a good place for employers to start is by establishing a safe space where Black female employees can share what they need to feel seen, valued, respected, and equal to their colleagues. From there, leadership can make the steps to turn those needs into actions and change.
Do Your Part
It’s not only on employers to make the workplace more equitable for Black women. Everyone needs to do their part. Regardless of your position in a company, you can always advocate for change and be an ally.
Join a community that cares
Join our talented community of moms and mom allies. Whether you’re searching for your next opportunity, looking to give or get career guidance, or just getting started—you’re in the right place. 
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