The North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement and North Carolina Department of Administration Secretary Machelle Sanders are announcing a key report on women’s employment and earnings in a series of three events across the state today and tomorrow.
- June 6, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., Dress for Success Charlotte, 500 Clanton Road, Suite A, Charlotte
- June 6, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., Alamance Community College, 1247 Jimmie Kerr Road, Graham
- June 7, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., Fayetteville State University, 1200 Murchison Road, Fayetteville
The Status of Women in North Carolina report on Employment and Earnings includes research conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research to provide key data and policy recommendations to improve the lives of North Carolina women.
Key findings from the report include:
- Two thirds of NC mothers with children under age 5 work to support their families and nearly 75 percent of mothers with children under age 18 work.
- The share of women in the labor force decreased 3 percent from 2002 to 2016. The labor force participation rate for NC women in 2016 was 57 percent.
- Women make up more than half of the state’s population. Eliminating the gender wage gap would reduce the poverty rate among NC women by more than 50 percent.
- The gender wage gap has narrowed from 26.3 percent in 2002 to 19.1 percent in 2016.
- There are huge geographical disparities in women’s median annual earnings, ranging from $25,000 in Washington County to $47,555 in Orange County.
- If working women were paid comparable to working men, the increase in pay would amount to $15.6 billion, which is equivalent to three percent of the state’s Gross Domestic Product.
“The status of women in North Carolina is an issue for all of us because women are key parts of our families, our communities, our workforce, and our economy,” said NCDOA Secretary Machelle Sanders. “Bringing more women into the labor force, helping women succeed in a wider range of jobs, and continuing to close the gender wage gap will help North Carolina women, their families, and our communities overall. When women thrive, North Carolina thrives.”
Women make up 57.3 percent of North Carolina’s workforce, and the report underscores many of the key priorities of NC Job Ready, Governor Roy Cooper’s initiative to make sure North Carolina’s workforce is ready for the jobs of today and tomorrow. For example, access to affordable quality child care is critical to women’s participation in employment and to North Carolina’s workforce overall. Efforts to provide women with more opportunities to acquire skills in high-demand jobs with low participation by women would also help women and North Carolina’s economy overall.
"It important to the success of North Carolina's economy that businesses embrace diversity and inclusiveness by creating a workforce where women are key contributors and members at all management levels, including the boardrooms,” said Sanders.
Gov. Cooper’s recommended budget included new investments in child care and early childhood education; free training for jobs that are in high-demand by employers across the state; and opportunities for students to receive emergency funding when they find themselves at risk of dropping out of post-secondary education programs due to unexpected financial hardship.
As follow up to the report, leaders from the North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement and the Department of Administration will visit areas across the state to share the report findings and hear local community input on the status of women. The Council will also create a website aggregating resources and organizations that are working to provide services to women.
Future annual Status of Women in North Carolina reports over the next three years will focus on health and reproductive rights, poverty and opportunity, and political participation. More information is available at ncadmin.nc.gov/statusofwomenNC2018.
The North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement is a division of the North Carolina Department of Administration. The mission of the Council is to advise the Governor, state legislators and state leaders on issues that impact women and youth.
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