League of Women VotersTennessee State ConferenceOctober 13, 2001

The Status of Women

in Tennessee

The Status of Women in Tennessee

Based on research conducted in conjunction with the

Institute for Women’s Policy Research

Presentation by

Center for Research on Women University of Memphis

Tennessee Economic Council on Women

Local Co-Sponsors

American Association of University Women (Memphis Branch)

Center for Women’s Health Improvement, UT-Memphis Church Women United Girls Incorporated League of Women Voters of Memphis-Shelby County Memphis Center for Reproductive Health Memphis Regional Planned Parenthood Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center

Local Co-Sponsors (cont.)

National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Memphis Chapter

National Council of Jewish Women National Organization for Women (Memphis Chapter) Network of Memphis Tennessee Women's Political Caucus United Methodist Women Women Business Owners Contract Alliance Network Women in Business Advisory Council Women in Leadership Program, The University of Memphis

Local Co-Sponsors (cont.)

Women of Achievement Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis Young Women's Christian Association

For financial support of this event, special thanks to: Mickey Babcock; Center for Research on Women Donors' Fund; Center for Women’s Health Improvement-UT, Memphis; Network of Memphis; Office of the President, The University of Memphis; Public Service Fund, The University of Memphis; and Karen B. Shea.

Women by Race/Ethnicity (As % of Total, 1995)

Race/Ethnicity Tennessee United States

African Amer. 16.8 12.8

Latino 0.8 9.8

Asian Amer. 0.8 3.6

Native Amer. 0.2 0.8

White 81.4 73.0

Key Points

Demographics for African American women in Tennessee demand special consideration

Latina women have been undercounted and their representation in Tennessee continues to grow

““Unusual” DemographicsUnusual” Demographics(1990)(1990)

Item Tennessee United States

% WomenWho AreForeign-Born 1.2% 7.9%

% WomenWho Live inMetro Areas

73.8% 83.1%

Women’s Labor Force Participation, by Race (1997)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Tennessee UnitedStates

White

African American

Key Points

African American women in Tennessee are more likely to be working than women nation-wide whether they are single, married, or single heads of household

Women in Tennessee with children under one year old are more likely to be working than their national counterparts

Median Annual Earnings of Full-Time, Year-Round Workers (1997)

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

Tennessee UnitedStates

Women

Men

Women’s Occupational Distribution (1998)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%

Mgers/Prof.

Clerical/Sales

Service

Operators

Craft

United States

Tennessee

Wages in Tennessee by Gender of Job (1998)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%W

ages

< $

6.75

Wag

es $

6.76

-$1

1.25

Wag

es >

$11

.26

Female-DominatedJobsGender-Neutral Jobs

Male-Dominated Jobs

Educational Attainment of Women, Aged 25 and Older (1998)

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

LessthanH.S.

H.S.Grad

(Only)

Four orMoreYears

ofCollege

TennesseeUnited States

Women’s Education & Earnings in Tennessee (1979 & 1997)

Education Earnings % Change1979-97

< 12th Grade $14,877 -5.7%High SchoolOnly $18,230 -3.8%

College Grad $29,276 +15.3%

College Plus $32,588 +0.1%

Women’s Education and the Wage Gap in Tennessee

Education Female/MaleEarnings

% Chng. inRatio ‘79-‘97

< 12th Grade 72.8% +14.1%High SchoolOnly 67.2% +11.5%

College Grad 62.6% +10.7%

College Plus 55.2% -20.0%

Key Points

Women’s earnings are influenced by the overall distribution of lower wage jobs in Tennessee

Women are concentrated in the lowest wage jobs

Education is an issue, but gender depresses wages even when education is taken into account

Poverty Rates for Single Women and Men, 1997

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

SingleWomen

SingleMen

TennesseeUnited States

Family Poverty Rates, 1997

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

AllFamilies

Mar.Cpls. W/

Kids

Sgl.WomenW/ Kids

Tennessee

United States

Wages by Family Type in Tennessee (1997)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

$5.15-7.49

$7.50-$9.99

$10.00+

Married Couple withChildren

Single Female withChildren

Male without Children

Female withoutChildren

Key Points

Mothers with children in poverty raise special concerns about “supported work.”

If unmarried poor mothers marry poor men, they are still likely to be below the “living wage.”

Women-Owned Firms (1992)

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

% FirmsWomen-Owned

%Increase,1987-92

%Increasein Sales

TennesseeUnited States

Women-Owned Firms, by Industry (1992)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

RetailTrade

Finance,Insurance,R. Estate

Services

Tennessee United States

Key Points

Women-owned businesses remain concentrated in low capital and low profit sectors

Growth reflects interest and efforts that can be nurtured and supported

Health Insurance Coverage in Tennessee, by Gender (1997)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

No Insur. EmployerIns.

(As Dep.) Public Ins.

WomenMen

Women’s Mortality Rates from Heart Disease (1991-1995)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Tennessee UnitedStates

All WomenWhite LatinoAfrican American

Women’s Mortality Rates from Breast Cancer (1991-1995)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Tennessee UnitedStates

All WomenAfrican AmericanWhite

Women in Office, Tennessee and United States (2000)

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

% WomenLegislators

% WomenAppointed

TennesseeUnited States

Voter Registration in Tennessee and the United States (1996)

Women tend to register and to vote at rates slightly higher than men. This is true both in Tennessee and the U.S. as a whole. Two-thirds of Tennessee women are registered to vote.

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

% Recip.Registered

TennesseeUnited States