Findings released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau pointed to some unexpected results. According to the findings, white women with bachelor’s degrees earned, on average, less than Asian and black women who have reached the same level of education.
The average earnings of whites was reported as $37,739, while Asian and black women earned $43,656 and $41,066.
The findings are contrary to those presented for men, which show white men earning the most, with $64,501 annually. Asian American men earned $50,998 and black men earned $46,800.
According to University of Wisconsin sociology professor Erik Wright, statistics from the Census Bureau cannot be elaborated on in their current state.
“These are basically numbers that have not been subjected to really careful analysis. They are just giving you gross distributions,” Wright said. “All these things you would really have to study in depth to [reach] results.”
Still, Wright speculated that many white women worked shorter hours than black women.
Laura Dresser, research director for the Center for Wisconsin Strategy, agreed.
“The most compelling reason is more hours [for black women],” Dresser said. “The median black woman is a full-time worker. People who work more should make more money.”
Additionally, Wright said black women could have very different college experiences than white women.
“A much smaller percentage of African-American women get college degrees [and] it’s a more arduous process for them to get through it,” Wright said. “Among those who survive, this proves they have a lot more commitment and seriousness to work.”
Despite evidence from the Census Bureau showing minorities succeeding, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research disagreed with the claims.
According to a release from the IWPR, black women are still worse off than white women. This is apparent, stated the IWPR, when comparing the median earnings of white and black full-time workers, poverty rates and unemployment rates.
“Among those with a bachelor’s degree alone, African-American women earn $38,160, compared with $40,700 earned by comparable white women,” stated the release.
Avis Jones-DeWeever, study director for the IWPR, said data from the census points to the need to improve education and career opportunities for black women.
“Such policies include protecting and strengthening the enforcement of affirmative-action policies, improving access to financial assistance for low-income students and allowing more education and training to count as work under welfare reform,” Jones-DeWeever said.
Wright added men might still dominate over minorities and women because of their greater presence in managerial positions.
“There’s a glass ceiling to rise above,” Wright said. “Thirty years ago, there were relatively few African-Americans who got college degrees. [As a result], there are fewer that are in their prime working life.”
Still, Dresser said the impact of past education differentials could be changing.
“The relative education gap has shrunk over time,” Dresser said. “[Wright’s] explanation can’t explain a growing gap between blacks and whites. The gap is shrinking.”
