By C. Nicole Mason

Recent reports on the recession continue to highlight the disproportionate impact of the downturn on men in comparison to women with regard to job loss and unemployment. However, black and Latino women know that when it comes to unemployment, finding a decent job that pays well has as much to do with race, as it has to do with gender.

Race is a significant contributing factor to joblessness among black and Latino women. In July, Black and Latino women had a national unemployment rate of nearly 12 percent compared to 6.8 percent for white women. In the state of California, the joblessness rate for Latino women reached an all-time high of 15 percent.

Understanding the Race Factor

The experiences of black and Latino women in the labor market is different from than that of their white counterparts. Historic patterns of discrimination and labor market segmentation have had a profound impact on the kinds of jobs, occupations and opportunities for advancement available to black and Latino women. They tend to be over-represented in the service industry and underrepresented in management level or professional positions compared to white women. What this means is that in times of economic crisis, it is harder for black and Latino women to maintain or find employment.

Education and training also play a role in curbing joblessness among black and Latino women. However, training that leads to higher paying jobs or career advancement are often elusive and conflict with care-taking duties. Studies also show that when black and Latino women enroll in workforce development training programs, the jobs obtained tend to be temporary in nature, pay lower wages, or have very little potential for advancement.

Single and Cashless

High unemployment rates have worsened the experience of black and Latino women single-heads of households already struggling to make ends meet. Among single-women heads of households, African-American women have an unemployment rate of 11.7 percent, followed by Latino women at 8.7 percent.

Among single-women heads of households, five out of ten black women say they have had trouble paying bills on time and four out of ten Latino have shared this experience. In sharp contrast, less than thirty percent of white women have had trouble paying bills. Connectedly, nearly 25 percent of Latino women and one in five black women worry about having enough food on their tables to feed their families compared to just ten percent of white women. Chronic unemployment or underemployment among black and Latino mothers means that children in these families fail to have their basic needs met.

The Impact of Joblessness on Families

In July, the unemployment rate for black men was nearly 16 percent and 12 percent for Latino men. The comparatively high unemployment rates of black and Latino men places a tremendous amount of economic responsibility onto the shoulders of African-American and Latino women. In many instances, they become the primary or sole wage earner in the household.

With regard to family economic security and wellbeing, the unemployment rate for African-American families is more than double the rate of white families (8.0 percent compared to 3.3 percent). The unemployment rate for Latino families is 4.8 percent. In two-income families, job loss or unemployment for one or both of the breadwinners translates directly to less money to pay for childcare, rent or mortgage, health insurance, and other expenses.

The situation is made direr when you consider the fact that 68 percent of African-American families and 58 percent of Latino households have no net financial assets and live from paycheck to paycheck. When economic crisis hit or unemployment occurs, it is likely that black and Latino families have few safety nets, savings, or assets to help ride out the storm.

Real Recovery and Job Creation

The current economic crisis brings to light what many blacks and Latinos have known for quite some time—we have been living in a recession for at least the last decade. To be sure, there is no quick or easy fix in terms of curbing job loss and unemployment in Black and Latino communities. True recovery would include a thorough examination of the conditions and structures that made this economic moment possible.

In President Obama’s economic stimulus package, nearly two million jobs are slated to go to women. However, only 420,000 will go to African-American and Latino women despite their higher rates of unemployment compared to white women.

For the sake of black and Latino families and communities, more will have to be done at the federal and state levels to ensure that black and Latino women are able to secure jobs ad opportunities for advancement at rates parallel to their white and male counterparts. Joblessness among black and Latino women not only impacts the individual, but also has a devastating rippling effect on families and communities.

Dr. C. Nicole Mason is the Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network  at the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.