The recession has hit everybody hard. The effect that it is having on the urban community has been seldom documented and this article here begins to shed some light on the issue. Black women, in comparison to Black men, have been acutely affected by the struggling economy. In recent years, circumstances have caused Black women to be the breadwinners and heads of households in increased numbers. This article struck me as particularly interesting because of the sheer numbers involved and the dynamics at play. Looking at the data it is shocking to see the stark reality that Black women face. In a two-year span, Black women have lost nearly 258,000 jobs. This number appears larger when we take into consideration that many Black families depend on the mother as a provider of income due to the absence of a father. The predicament is worse for the fact that Black women make 53.4% of the Black workforce and they are hard-pressed to find new jobs. These figures indicate just how important Black women are to the business world. Their impact is felt both at home and in the workforce. Women in general have been disproportionately affected by the recent economic downturn and the trend looks like it will last as long as the recession continues. There are a number of initiatives established aimed at assisting minorities find jobs, but there are relatively few that specifically focus on the needs of Black women.
For a real economic recovery for the United States of America, all professional demographics, including Black women, will need to be re-employed in the jobs that were lost during the recession. With cuts and programs being eliminated, the jobs available for Black women are becoming scarcer and the hope and opportunity for new jobs more grim. Maybe when the recession ends we will see a reversal in this trend and all professional demographics will be constructive in the workforce.
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