Document 24B: Supplementary tables from "Black Women's Plan of Action," from National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, The Spirit of Houston: The First National Women's Conference (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978), pp. 274-76.

p. 274

TABLE 1¹

1972 Civilian Labor Force & Unemployment in the Census Region by Color

	Total	Black & Other Race
Total	5.6	10.0
Northeast	6.3	9.4
North Central	5.0	12.0
South	4.8	9.1
West	7.1	11.2
Mid-Atlantic	6.1	8.9

¹The assistance of Dr. Linda F. Williams with statistical data is gratefully acknowledged.

   All statistics for this statement on the status of black women are taken from the United States Census Reports, The Monthly Labor Review (March, 1975) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Special Labor Force Report no. 175. The reader should note that the available data have been challenged by minorities with respect to reliability and there is a probability of understatement in regard to the life conditions of minority women which in fact may be more desperate than statistics indicate.

TABLE 2

Unemployment Rates by Race & Sex

	Sex
	Male	Female	Sex Differentials
Race
White	4.3	5.6	−1.3
Black	10.0	9.5	.5
Race Differentials	−5.7	−3.9

TABLE 3

Characteristics of Female-Headed Families, 1973

Female Head	White	Black
Percent of all families	9.6	34.6
Marital Status of Female Head
Married, husband absent	19.0	36.2
Separated	14.6	32.6
Other	4.4	3.7
Widowed	41.0	28.1
Divorced	30.0	16.1
Single	10.0	19.5

p. 275

TABLE 4

Wife's Contribution to Family Income—Families With Husband and Wife Working by Race of Husband

	Mean Family Income	Earnings Average of Wife	Percent of Family Income
All White	$17,983	$4,483	24.9
All Black	$14,317	$4,645	32.4

TABLE 5

Working Mothers With Children Under 18 by Low Income Status and Race, 1973

	All Races Below Low- Income Level (%)	White Below Low- Income Level (%)	Blacks Below Low- Income Level (%)
All Women with     Children	11.1	8.1	32.8
Female Headed     Families	41.7	34.3	56.6

TABLE 6

Occupational Distributions of the 4 Race-Sex Groups, 1974

Occupation	White Males	Black Males	White Females	Black Females
Professional, Technical	14.5	9.4	15.4	11.7
Managers & Administrators	14.8	5.4	5.3	2.4
Sales Workers	6.4	2.8	7.4	7.7
Clerical	6.3	7.4	36.4	24.9
Craftsmen, Foremen	21.4	15.8	1.5	1.4
Operatives, except Transport	11.8	10.5	11.8	16.8
Transport Equipment Operatives	5.6	9.1	.5	.4
Laborers, except Farm	6.9	15.1	1.0	1.2
Farmers & Farm Managers	3.1	1.2	.3	—
Farm Laborers & Foremen	1.8	2.8	1.2	1.1
Service Workers, except Private Household	7.2	15.2	16.7	26.1
Private Household Workers	—	.1	2.5	11.3

p. 276

TABLE 7

Economic Status of Women: 1971

Major Occupational Group	Income	As percent of Men's Income (%)
Professional & Technical Workers	$8,346	69
Nonfarm Managers & Administrators	$7,312	56
Clerical Workers	$5,718	62
Sales Workers	$4,349	43
Operatives including Transport	$4,798	61
Service Workers, except Private Household	$4,280	60

TABLE 8

Years of School Completed by Race & Sex: 1974

		College		Median School
	1-3 years		4 years or more	Years Completed
Total all races	11.9		13.3	12.3
White
Male	12.9		17.7	12.4
Female	11.7		10.6	12.3
Black
Male	8.6		5.7	10.5
Female	8.0		5.3	10.9

   

   

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