programs : racial justice initiative
From our beginning in 1858, the YWCA USA has stood for the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women — and still does today. Over the years, however, the general public’s awareness of our mission has lessened. This is why we are pursuing a brand revitalization – to let everyone know we are alive and well. We’re still serving millions of women every year while striving toward the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women.
Our new look puts our mission and hallmark initiatives at the forefront: Eliminating racism. Empowering women. It’s a look that will not only be recognized by our clients, volunteers, donors and the general public but be remembered as well.
We’ve come a long way over the past 146 years, but, as these statistics show, we still have a long way to go.
Racism in Health Care
- The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) reports that 64% of Americans believe racism is a problem in health care - 20% say it's a major problem. (www.nccj.org)
- The NCCJ reports that 60% of African Americans say that race or ethnic background affects getting routine medical care. (www.nccj.org)
- In 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 10% of white Americans did not have health insurance compared to 19% of African Americans and 33.2% of Hispanics. (www.nccj.org)
- Heart mortality rates for adults ages 25-64 are almost twice as high among African Americans as whites. Source: The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation (www.kff.org.)
Racism in Education
- The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) reports that 68% of Americans believe racism is a problem in education - 20% say it's a major problem. (www.nccj.org)
- More than one in four Hispanic youth drop out of school, and nearly half leave school by the eighth grade. Source: Focus Adolescent Services (www.focusas.com/Dropouts.html)
- Of the 43% of minority children attending public schools, more than half are poor and more than two-thirds fail to reach basic levels on national tests. Source: Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation (www.eisenhowerfoundation.org)
- The average black student is 3½ years behind the average white student in math, nearly 4 years behind in reading, and 5½ years behind in science. Source: Telling A Different Story of Racism in America by Stephen and Abigail Thernstrom.
- The Applied Research Center reports that the rate of school suspensions is far higher for black students than for whites nationwide. (abcnew.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/racism000114)
Racism in the Workplace
- The National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ) reports that 70% of Americans believe racism is a problem in the workplace - 23% say it's a major problem. (www.nccj.org.)
- In 2002, the median U.S. household income for all races was $42,760; for Asian households it was $50,604; white non-Hispanic/Latino households, $47,199; black households, $31,408; and Hispanic/Latino households, $35,447. Source: U.S. Census Bureau - Income in the United States: 2002 (www.census.gov)
Racism in Law Enforcement
- According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), studies in several states show that blacks and Latinos were being stopped for routine traffic violations in excess of their representation in the population. Source: ACLU Letter to the Senate 2/19/04. (www.aclu.org)
- African Americans and Hispanics in Texas were significantly more likely than whites to be searched following a traffic stop by Texas law enforcement agencies. Source: Texas Criminal Reform Commission: February 2004
Women and Employment
- By 2008, women will make up about 48 percent of the labor force. (U.S. Department of Labor)
- U.S. women represent 51% of the population, but comprise less than:
- 1.2% of Fortune 500 CEOs. Source: Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers (www.catalystwomen.org)
- 2.7% of the highest paid officers at Fortune 500 companies. Source: Catalyst
- 15% of the members of Congress (Source Women's Research and Education Institute. (http://www.wrei.org/pubs/WC_108.pdf)
- In 2002, the median income of full-time, year round U.S. workers was $39,429 for men and $30,203 for women. Source: U.S. Census Bureau - Income in the United States: 2002 (www.census.gov)
- Of the 15 million people age 15 or older who were full-time workers in 2001, 4.4% of women as compared with 2.8 percent of men reported earnings less than $10,000. At the opposite end of the economic spectrum, 5.5 percent of women as compared with 15.8 percent of men reported earnings of $75,000 or more. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov)
- Women have made progress in entering occupations predominantly held by men, however as of March 2001 the majority of women in the workplace were still in traditional "female" occupations, i.e., 79% of administrative support workers were female. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov)
- During retirement, women's median annual Social Security benefits reach only 70 percent of men's benefits. Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research (www.iwpr.org)
- Women are much less likely than men to receive pension income in retirement, but for those who do, their annual benefits are only half the amount received by men. Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research (www.iwpr.org)
Women and Domestic Violence
- Every nine seconds a woman is beaten in the United States. Source: American Institute on Domestic Violence 2001. (www.aidv-usa.com/Statistics.htm)
- Women ages 20-34 endure the highest rates of domestic violence. Source: American Institute on Domestic Violence 2001 (www.aidv-usa.com/Statistics.htm)
- On average, more than three women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States. Source: Family Violence Prevention Fund (http://endabuse.org/resources/facts/)
- One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Source: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (www.rainn.org)
- Only about one in five domestic violence victims with physical injuries seek professional medical treatment. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/)
- 40% to 50% of female victims are physically injured when assaulted by their intimate partner, accounting for more than 200,000 hospital emergency room visits each year. Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/)
- In the 39% of attacks reported to police, there is only a 16.3% chance the rapist will end up in prison. Source: Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (www.rainn.org)
General Statistics
- 1.6 million women are military veterans; another 164,000 currently serve in the military. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet)
- While the high school completion rates for both men and women was 84% as of March 2002, 29% of men had earned a bachelor's degree or more, compared with 24% of women. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov)
- 14 million women are single mothers. Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov)
- Among women 50 to 65 years old, 14 percent do not have any type of health insurance. Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research (www.iwpr.org)
- Older women are more likely to face poverty than older men. Source: Institute for Women's Policy Research (www.iwpr.org)