Natalie Baddour Nicole Cardoza Natalie Baddour Nicole Cardoza

Address the jobs lost by women of color.

Earlier this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a solemn report: between November and December of 2020, the U.S. lost over 140,000 jobs (U.S Department of Labor). Many of these jobs had been held by women, who have been pushed out of the workforce in startling numbers. Since February 2020, women have lost 5.4 million jobs (Fortune). They are leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men (NPR). “Even in more stable times, jobs typically held by women were among the lowest-status and worst-paid work,” explains Diane Coyle, a professor of public policy (NY Times). For example, women account for about three-quarters of workers in education and a majority of those in food services (sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic).

Happy Thursday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Thank you for all the well-wishes as I navigate the storm, and your donations to those in need. The most damaging part of this nasty weather is its compounded impact on a nation already struggling to survive. Natalie's reflection on the jobs lost by women of color over the past few months is an example of this.

Thank you all for your contributions! This newsletter is made possible by our subscribers. Consider giving $7/month on Patreon. Or you can give one-time on our website or PayPal. You can also support us by joining our curated digital community.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

GET EDUCATED

By Natalie Baddour (she/her)

Earlier this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released a solemn report: between November and December of 2020, the U.S. lost over 140,000 jobs (U.S Department of Labor). Many of these jobs had been held by women, who have been pushed out of the workforce in startling numbers. Since February 2020, women have lost 5.4 million jobs (Fortune). They are leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men (NPR). “Even in more stable times, jobs typically held by women were among the lowest-status and worst-paid work,” explains Diane Coyle, a professor of public policy (NY Times). For example, women account for about three-quarters of workers in education and a majority of those in food services (sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic). 

Additionally, between schools shutting down and a lack of childcare, many working mothers have no choice but to stay home for their kids. Sometimes the decision comes down to finances: because women still earn 82 cents for every dollar a man makes and typically earn less, it might seem to make more sense for a male partner to keep his job (NPR). But even when that’s not the case, our society often perpetuates the harmful notion that women are best suited for caregiving duties and should sacrifice their careers for their kids.

While it is important to note that women in general have disproportionately left the workforce during the pandemic, the news reports that overlook the intersections between race and gender are missing a pivotal point: that women of color have been significantly affected (NY Times). 

Over the last year, employment has been down nearly 7% for Hispanic women, 5.6% for Black women, and 3% for white women (Reuters). By August, only 34% of Black women who’d lost their jobs due to the pandemic regained employment, compared to 61% of white women (Catalyst). 

There is a multitude of factors that contribute to these job losses. Systematic racism often prevents women of color from securing the same opportunities as their white counterparts; thus, white women are more likely to hold jobs that offer the flexibility to work from home (Eater). Overall, only 19.7% of Black workers and 16.4% of Hispanic workers can telework, compared to 29.9% of white workers (Economic Policy Institute). 

Women of color also disproportionately hold jobs considered essential and most vulnerable to the pandemic, accounting for 53% of workers in the food service industry and 80% of workers in the health and social assistance field (Center for American Progress). When it comes to firing, women of color are often the ones at the top of companies’ layoff lists; they tend to hold the most marginal, low-authority roles, therefore losing their jobs at excessively high rates (Harvard Business Review).

Women of color also were disproportionately excluded from the benefits of last year’s federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which exempted many essential workers in grocery and retail environments (Washington Post). Employers were also allowed to exclude health care providers, and emergency responders from the act’s mandated paid sick days and child care leave. The U.S. Department of Labor defines “health care workers” so vaguely that it can include anyone employed in a healthcare facility, from cafeteria workers to maintenance staff and janitors. (Center for American Progress). Workers of color are overrepresented in these industries that offered little government support; Black employees comprise one-sixth of frontline workers (Axios). Given the lack of support, many women of color were forced to quit their jobs. In December 2020, the FFCRA ended, severing a crucial lifeline to those few able to receive benefits (U.S. Department of Labor). 

However, Biden proposed a new coronavirus bill that includes a $1,400 stimulus check, one that he hopes can now go to eligible adult dependents and families with mixed-status citizenship (CNET). Biden also plans to extend the child tax credit to families with lower incomes. If approved, families will be able to claim up to $3,600 per young child and $3,000 per older child every year (USA Today). The bill will also add a temporary expansion of the childcare tax credit and expand access to childcare (Vox).  

But while measures may temporarily ease some of the burdens on BIPOC women and mothers, they do not fully address the structural inequities that are the foundation of such job loss disparities. Even before coronavirus, people of color were far more likely to receive poverty-level wages than white workers; in 2017, 19.2% of Hispanic workers and 14.3% of Black workers were paid poverty-level wages, compared to 8.6% of white employees (Economic Policy Institute). 

Based on all these statistics, it’s easy to see why women of color have suffered the most job loss during this time. The pandemic has erased years of gradual economic progress, and the effects are still going to be felt even after it is over. While Biden’s new coronavirus bill provides a brief glimmer of hope, America needs more direct, long-term policies to give these women ongoing support. Paid sick and family leave are crucial, and new measures should be taken to provide low-income workers with full-wage replacement no matter how big or small the business is. Our country is in a crisis, and women of color need to be at the forefront of our most important conversations. To see change for those most in need, we must demand it now.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • The U.S. has failed at providing adequate paid family leave for distressed Americans, leaving millions of essential BIPOC workers without support.

  • Women of color disproportionately hold low-paying essential jobs (accounting for 53% of workers in the food service industry and 80% of workers in the health and social assistance field), therefore being ineligible for benefits and more susceptible to layoffs. (Center for American Progress)

  • During the pandemic, employment has decreased nearly 7% for Hispanic women, 5.6% for Black women, and 3% for white women. (Reuters)

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Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza Nicole Cardoza

Be afraid of COVID-19.

With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, yesterday the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19”. This tweet was sent after the President was rushed to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at a White House event where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance.

Currently, the news cycle is laser-focused on how a small and exclusive group of rich, powerful white people contracted COVID-19. Yet during that time, hundreds of thousands of everyday people have, too. The resurgence of the virus across the U.S. is discomforting, to say the least. But being afraid of a global pandemic that's ravaging the country and exposing its systemic inequities is a much more compassionate response than apathy or greed. Today, we unpack why it's critical we take this virus – and the disparities it illuminates – seriously as we head to the holidays.

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Nicole 

ps – the title isn't to spark fear, but solidarity. Please remember how many lives are at stake beyond your own.

TAKE ACTION

  • Find a local mutual aid network in your community that you can support through the winter.

  • Double-down on your preventative practices where possible: wear your mask, maintain physical distance, wash your hands, and stay home when you’re feeling sick.

  • Vote for state and federal candidates that take COVD-19 seriously.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19” on Twitter. This tweet was sent after the President was sent to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at an event at the White House where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance. Since that event, over a dozen senior staffers and many more staff members have positively tested for COVID-19 (NYTimes).

 

If all that irony wasn’t enough, the President’s tweet shortly followed new evidence from the CDC that COVID-19 can “travel distances beyond six feet,” acknowledging that the virus can be “spread by airborne transmission“ indoors with inadequate ventilation (CDC). 

 

This is major. The organization had made this statement earlier this month, but retracted it quickly, saying that a draft was posted in error (Forbes). And for months prior, hundreds of experts from around the world were pressing the organization to acknowledge the possibility of airborne infections to no avail (NYTimes). Although it’s unclear what the hesitation has been to draw short of calling it airborne, this acknowledgment may prompt much more stringent adherence to preventative measures.

 

And we need to be vigilant now more than ever. With over 43,000 cases a day, the U.S. has reached its highest daily contract rate of the disease than in the past two months (NYTimes). Twenty-one states have seen a rise in cases (CNN), and the average number of people hospitalized for coronavirus in a week rose recently for the first time since July (Covid Tracking Project). 

 

As we’ve reported repeatedly throughout the past three months, the racial disparities of the impact of COVID-19 are significant. The latest from a Senate committee report shows that Black people are dying from COVID-19 at 3.4 times the rate of white people, and the disease is the cause of 1 in 5 deaths among Latinx. In addition, American Indian or Alaska Native patients are 4x more likely to be hospitalized than white people (NPR).  And although many states and major cities acknowledged racism as a public health crisis and created various taskforces and initiatives to help offset the disproportionate impact, critics are skeptical on how effective these initiatives have been (WTTW).

 

As the weather cools across the country and people head indoors, there’s already an increased likelihood for the virus to spread. With the latest news from the CDC, it’s presumable that chances to catch the virus may increase. Already, we’re spending more time in close proximity: many people have returned back to offices, schools and daycares, and 39% of Americans plan to travel this holiday season (Hopper). And as we enter flu season, health officials are warning of a “twindemic,” where flu-like symptoms may mask symptoms of COVID-19, or weaken immune systems to make people more susceptible to catching both. The flu is also likely to take up valuable space in doctors’ offices and hospitals, which could greatly hinder a state’s ability to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak (NYTimes).

 

But we shouldn’t only be afraid of ourselves – or each other – contracting the virus. We need to fear the impact it’s having on our lives and our livelihood. Consider employment: as of this month, over 2.4M people have been out of work for six months, which constitutes long-term employment (Bureau of Labor Statistics). But more damaging: at least 5M more people will be unemployed long-term by the end of the year. Entire industries, like hospitality and travel, are struggling to return. Companies that have shifted to remote learning may never go back to offices. Over 3M people have lost their health insurance since the pandemic started, leaving them vulnerable to future potential illnesses (Forbes). And eviction moratoriums, student loan and mortgage forbearances, and other graces provided to those in need are unlikely to last forever. Our foundation is crumbling quickly and has already eroded for too many people.

 

Most urgently, we need to fear political leaders that are not afraid of COVID-19. We cannot afford to continue to respond to the health, social, and economic impact of this pandemic in such a careless way. Our future depends on leaders that can acknowledge and swiftly respond to this crisis – let alone the ones that may come next. Protect those around you – especially those most vulnerable – by doing your part to decrease the virus’s spread and the misinformation our President promotes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Over 208,000 people have lost their lives due to COVID-19, and another 75M have contracted it.

  • New CDC guidelines warn that the virus can be spread airborne indoors

  • Despite efforts, there's still a wide range in racial disparities of contracting and surviving from COVID-19

  • We must continue to acknowledge the growing threat of COVID-19 as we head into fall and towards an upcoming election

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Ebony Bellamy Nicole Cardoza Ebony Bellamy Nicole Cardoza

Fight for paid sick leave.

It's Wednesday! 

And we're unpacking the importance of paid sick leave as we head into fall in the midst of a pandemic. Ebony shares more about the importance of paid sick leave, particularly for marginalized communities. Luckily, recent legislation has passed for Philadelphia and California, showing that local advocacy efforts are generating results. Join in by examination paid sick leave legislation in your city and state, and consider how you can encourage the same policies at your workplace.

If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider making a contribution to support our work. You can give one-time on our website, PayPal or Venmo (@nicoleacardoza), or subscribe for $5/mo on our Patreon.

– Nicole

TAKE ACTION

  • Support the Healthy Families Act by signing this petition, which urges Congress to pass a national sick leave policy.

  • If you live in a state or city that has enacted a paid sick leave law, know your rights by researching how you are protected as an employee. Use this resource to get started.

  • Reach out to your local politicians and ask them to create a paid sick leave law for your city/state.

GET EDUCATED

By Ebony Bellamy (she/her)

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise and flu season quickly creeps upon us, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has emphasized that reducing the spread of germs and respiratory illnesses is extremely important this fall and winter (CDC). And the best way to reduce the spread of both is for individuals to stay home when they’re feeling sick. However, this isn’t a luxury many workers have since there is no national sick leave policy in place. 

 

The workers who are most affected by this are people of color and immigrants. For immigrants, only 50% have paid sick days compared to 60% of their native-born counterparts (The Center for Law and Policy). At the same time, more than 7.3 million Black workers can’t earn a single paid sick day (National Partnership for Women and Families). That’s roughly 40% of Black employees, and of those workers, 41% are Black men, and 36% are Black women (National Partnership for Women and Families). 

 

And these numbers are even higher within the Latinx community. Despite them having the “highest labor force participation rate of any racial or ethnic group in the US and the fastest-growing segment of the workforce,” almost 15 million Latinx workers are unable to earn a single paid sick day (National Partnership for Women and Families). This includes 55% of Latinx men and 51% of Latinx women (National Partnership for Women and Families).

 

With Black and Latinx people primarily being paid less than their white and Asian counterparts, they can’t afford to take a day off. The median weekly earnings, in 2020, for full-time Black workers are $806 and $786 for Latinx workers while full-time white workers earn about $1,018 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). 


Compared to 83% of full-time workers who receive paid sick days, only 43% of part-time workers have paid sick leave (The Center for Law and Policy). With over 4 million people working fewer hours than they’d like and having to work multiple part-time jobs to support themselves and their families, they’re less likely to have guaranteed paid sick leave (The Center for Law and Policy). 

 

Unfortunately, workers with low-wage jobs are more likely to deal with financial burdens. For example, more than 30% of black households have no savings or assets to utilize if a family member unexpectedly loses their job (National Partnership for Women and Families). And as of 2015, more than one in five black families were living in poverty (National Partnership for Women and Families). The same is true for Latinx families. Approximately 27% of Latinx households have no savings or assets to utilize during an unexpected loss of income. As of 2018, more than one in six Latinx families was living in poverty (National Partnership for Women and Families). 

 

For low-income families, missing a few days of work can equate to losing a month’s worth of groceries, missing a rent payment, or not being able to pay a majority of their bills. But, maintaining perfect attendance at work means being able to feed their family, not being homeless, and not going into debt.

 

A lack of sick leave is extremely devastating to those who also serve as caregivers. Not only are they risking their health, but they’re risking the health of family members since they don’t have time to attend or prioritize medical appointments and emergencies (Essence). One in five Black people act as a caregiver to an adult family member or someone close to them, and 52% of these caregivers work full time (National Partnership for Women and Families). While more than one-quarter of Latinx individuals live in multigenerational households, so about 20% of them are caregivers for loved ones (National Partnership for Women and Families). 

 

People of color need paid sick leave so that they can take care of themselves and their families. Yet, only 13 states and Washington D.C. have enacted laws that require employers to offer paid sick leaves. Depending on the state, you can receive one hour of sick leave for every 30, 35, or 40 hours of work. Some states require more, and those hours equate to three to seven paid sick days (National Conference of State Legislature). Unfortunately, each state has specific guidelines that determine who qualifies for paid sick leave, so do your research because not all employees are covered.

 

Even though some states have a paid sick leave policy in place, people of color are often reluctant to take advantage of it. A Pew Research study found that 69% of employees took less sick leaves because they couldn’t afford to lose money, while 47% were afraid they would risk losing their job if they asked for a sick day (Essence). 

 

And some people don’t even know paid sick leave is an option for them. About one in five people don’t know if their employers offer any form of paid leave for situations such as routine doctor appointments, minor illnesses, and vacations (Essence). To fix this, employers need to let their employees know paid time off is available to them. They should have their policies posted in highly visible places around the office and ensure it’s written so that employees can understand them, which means posting the sick day policies in various languages (Essence).

 

To ensure all employees can take advantage of paid sick leave, we need to support the Healthy Families Act. This legislation ensures all American employees can earn up to seven days of paid sick time per year. Employees earn this by gaining an hour of sick leave for every 30 hours they work, and these sick days can be carried over to the next calendar year if they’re not used (The Center for Law and Policy). Sick days can be used for a multitude of reasons such as caring for their own physical or mental illness, caring for an injury or medical condition, obtaining a medical diagnosis, receiving preventive care, and caring for a family member, child, spouse, or loved one (The Center for Law and Policy). Read the National Partnership for Women and Families Fact Sheet to learn more about the Healthy Families Act.

 

There are over 32 million workers, who can’t earn paid sick leave, and we need to change that. No one should feel forced to choose between their health, their families’ health, and their financial security when they’re feeling sick.

Key Takeaways

  • Approximately 7.3 million Black workers and 15 million Latinx workers can’t earn a single day of paid sick leave (National Partnership for Women and Families).

  • People of color make less than their white counterparts, which hinders their ability to take a day off.

  • 83% of full-time workers receive paid sick days, while only 43% of part-time workers have paid sick leave (The Center for Law and Policy).

  • Only 13 states and Washington D.C. have laws that require employers to offer paid sick leave (National Conference of State Legislature).

  • 69% of employees took less sick leaves because they couldn’t afford to lose money, while 47% were afraid they would risk losing their job if they asked for a sick day (Essence).

  • The Healthy Families Act is a legislation that aims to create a national paid sick leave policy.

RELATED ISSUES

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Read More