Black and Female in the U.S.A.
A look at the state of Black women in America.
1 / 10
The State of Black Women - Black women have come a long way in the past 60 years but still have a way to go to close gaps in key areas, from education to political office. A new report released by the Black Women's Roundtable Policy network offers a glimpse of where women are and will serve as a roadmap to "promote progressive leaders to champion" women's causes. Here's a snapshot of some of the findings. – Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images)
2 / 10
Maternal Mortality - The maternal mortality rate for African-American women is three times higher than for white women and similar to the rate experienced by women in many developing nations. (Photo: digitalskillet/GettyImages)
3 / 10
Education - Black women's high school graduation rate has increased by 63 percent to 85 percent, narrowing the gap with white women to 7 percent. Still the out-of-school suspension rate for Black girls is six times higher than the rate for white girls. (Photo: Art Vandalay/Getty Images)
4 / 10
Unequal Pay - African-American women make only 64 cents for every dollar a man earns. However, they also lead all women in labor force participation. (Photo: Steve Cole/Getty Images)
5 / 10
No Golden Years - African-American women over 65 have the lowest household income of any demographic group. They are more reliant on Social Security, without which the poverty rate for Black women would more than double. (Photo: Pauline St.Denis/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 10
Labor Unions - Labor unions have been good to Black women. Thanks to collective bargaining agreements, they earn higher wages and have greater access to benefits than women of all races who are not union members. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
7 / 10
Incarceration - Black women are more likely than other groups of women to be incarcerated, but the rate has declined from six times that of white women to three times the rate. (Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)
8 / 10
Entrepreneurship - Black women are the fastest growing segment among female entrepreneurs, but they receive only 6 percent of the revenue generated by those businesses compared to 29 percent received by white women. (Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images)
Photo By (Photo: Hero Images/Getty Images)
9 / 10
Politics - Black women led all demographic groups in voter turnout during the past two presidential elections. They are, however, underrepresented in office, with just 3 percent of state legislative seats and 3 percent of congressional seats. There also has not been an African-American woman in the U.S. Senate for 15 years. (Photo: Hill Street Studios/Getty Images)