Last week, I shared sex-disaggregated data that showed how the increase in the number of seniors in poverty affected women. Table 1 provides the net growth in the number of seniors by race/ethnicity and gender. Black men (14%) and White men (58%) comprise 72% of the net growth for the number of seniors in poverty. By contrast, Asian women (7%), Black women (1%), Hispanic women (6%), and Indigenous American women (2%) combined were 16% of the net growth for the number of seniors in poverty.
Women accounted for 23% of the net growth for seniors in poverty from 2019 to 2020 but were 60% of the net gain for seniors in poverty from 2020 to 2021.
Table 2 shows the prolonged effect of the pandemic on women. The increase for senior Black women in poverty from 2020 to 2021 (45,706) was 10 times higher than the increase from 2019 to 2020 (4,510). For Hispanic, Multiracial, and White women, the increase in senior women in poverty from 2020 to 2021 was at least 3 times higher than the increase from 2019 to 2020.
The data above suggests:
Better Data
- That is important not only to report the change in the number of people in poverty but for identifying shifts in the composition of poverty at the intersection of age, race/ethnicity, and gender.
- That COVID-19 data reported at the intersection of age, race/ethnicity, and gender are essential for explaining nuances in outcomes both during and potentially resulting from the pandemic.
Over the next year, more studies will be released about the effects of the pandemic. However, I am not optimistic that these studies will disaggregate the data in ways that expose myriad ways the pandemic has affected Americans.
Midterm Elections
Speaking of optimism, are you feeling optimistic about the mid-term election results?
I am.
Whatever the election results, I encourage you to join Jerry on Wednesday as he discusses the implications of the midterm election for women returning to their communities after incarceration. Click here to register.
Be well,
Rhonda
