The Importance of Supporting Single Working Mothers of Color
Desiree Peterkin Bell has long supported working mothers of color and focused heavily on providing them with the resources that they need to thrive. Unfortunately, this group is often hit the hardest by problems like socioeconomic downturn and experienced a particularly difficult experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, she has brainstormed ways people can work together to help those in need.
Why Focus On Single Mothers of Color
Desiree has seen the employment statistics around single working mothers of color and finds them depressing and hard to handle. For example, in September of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 865,000 women left the workforce. Of these women, 324,000 were Latina and 58,000 were African American. That’s 44% of all women who lost their jobs in that month.
Unfortunately, this only reflects a greater reality surrounding single working women of color in the employment world. While progress has been made over the last few years, it’s undeniable that the wage gap is a real issue. We all know that stats that white women earn less than men, getting 77 cents on the dollar compared to men with the same qualifications and experience in the same careers.This issue is even worse for women of color.
Desiree Peterkin Bell wants to ensure that part of the equity and equality narrative is knowing the stats for women of color. For example, African American women, which is that they earn 69.5 cents per the dollar, while Latina women make 60.5 cents per the dollar compared to men in the same profession. Single mothers of color are particularly heavily hit and are more likely to live in poverty and struggle with steps like wealth management in ways men simply do not.
Peterkin Bell believes that more steps need to be taken by officials, to ensure fair wages for all women, specifically women of color. Furthermore, a focus on education and training is critical, as it can help single women of color find better jobs and identify stronger work opportunities within their diverse fields.
To meet these goals, it is important to take steps like opening up smooth and open communication between employers and women of color. It’s important to understand that the plight for all women is not equal and not the same. It’s important to understand the challenges and how to potentially address them. It also includes working actively to adjust policies to better suit working mothers without affecting others. For example, creating better mental health support systems, increasing work-from-home options, and setting up on-site babysitting services could help improve flexibility for working mothers of color.
By taking these rightful steps, Desiree P. Bell is confident that real social progress can be made to improve the lives of single working women of color. The goal is to give them a fair shot at success. No one knows the challenges of patriarchy, race and ethnicity more than single mothers of color. They live it every single day. Bell sees promising signs from state and federal governments and a slowly increasing awareness and outrage over this inequality. She understands that big changes require commitment and persistence and changing the paradigm.. Working with officials to rapidly expand access to resources for single working women of color can go a long way towards improving their life and overall financial situation.
