In this moment, the future of our rights, our bodily autonomy, our freedom feels uncertain. What we do next will make a difference for decades to come.
Employment Numbers Show War on Poverty Isn’t “Fixed”
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released their monthly employment report. There’s good news and bad news.
Let’s start with the good. The overall unemployment rate for women decreased from 3.7% in July to 3.6% in August (compared to 3.5% for men). And the unemployment rate for Black women ticked down to 5.7% after a big increase last month. However, women’s overall share of the new workforce took a hit.
For the past two months, women have been making up a lower and lower share of the new jobs in the economy. In June, women held nearly 75% of the 213,000 new jobs in the economy. However, in July, women’s share of the new jobs added to the economy fell to about half. It fell further in August, when only 44% of the 201,000 new jobs went to women. That’s a pretty troubling shift to see in women’s employment numbers.
Although our President tends to lie about poverty and employment, data do not. This month’s BLS numbers show that women still struggle with economic security – women struggle with the wage gap and now appear to be making up a lower percentage of those hired in new jobs compared to men. Moreover, women of color are disproportionally left out of the workforce and face discrimination at higher rates than anyone. Despite President Trump’s belief that he “fixed” poverty, he cannot be further from the truth, especially for women.