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Facts'-OllWorking Women AUG 2 5 1998 U.S. Department of Labor Women 's Bureau 98-03 June 1998 0336A Facts About Asian American 1 and Pacific Islander Women Population-Asian and Pacific Islanders are a heterogeneous group. They differ in language, culture, and recency in immigration. Several Asian groups, such as Chinese and Japanese, have been in this country for generations. Pacific Islanders, as well, have been coming to the United States for more than a century. Relatively few Pacific Islanders are foreign born. Immigration is a major factor in the growth of the Asian and Pacific Islander population as a whole, with large numbers coming to the United States following the adoption of the Immigration Act of 1965. Asians include: Chinese; Filipino; Japanese; Asian-Indian; Korean; Vietnamese; Laotian; Thai; Cambodian; Pakistani; Indonesian; and Hmong. Pacific Islanders include: Polynesian (Hawaiian, Samoan, and Tongan); Micronesian (Guamanian); and Melanesian (Fijian). The number of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States was 1. 5 million in 1970, 3. 5 million in 1980, 7.3 million in 1990, 9.6 million in 1996, and in February 1998 there were an estimated 10.2 million Asian and Pacific Islanders, comprising 3.8 percent of the total U.S. population. About 51 percent (4.9 million) were female. Table 1 Population of Asian and Pacific Islanders, March 1996 (numbers in thousands) Age groups 16 years and over 15 to 19 years \ 20 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years 45 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 and over Source: U .S. Department of Commerce, March 1996. 1 Women Men 7,066 3,627 3,445 714 364 350 830 423 407 1,776 891 889 1,583 822 762 1,062 536 520 637 339 293 618 349 274 Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, Tu.tal The term "Asian American" used in the fact sheet title equates to the term "Asian", as defined by the U .S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis In addition to immigration and natural increase, part of the growth of Asian and Pacific Islanders between 1970 and 1990 reflects changes in the race question on the census form to include more groups, as well as improvements in collection and processing procedures in the 1990 census. There are more Asian and Pacific Islander women between the ages of 25 to 34 years--thus reflecting their median age of30.5 years. In 1990, Asian women were slightly older than Asian males, with median ages of 31 years and 29 years, respectively, in part because females tend to live longer. Because of the shorter migration route and in many instances similar climate to their homeland, it is no surprise that the majority of Asian and Pacific Islanders reside in the western portion of the United States--mainly in California. In 1996, 55 percent lived in the West, compared with 58 percent in 1980. States with the highest concentrations of Asian and Pacific Islanders were California and Hawaii. Approximately 75 percent of Pacific Islanders lived in California and Hawaii. These two states had more than 100,000 Pacific Islanders. Hawaiians, of course, are native to Hawaii. Sixty-six percent of the Asian population lived in just five States--with higher concentrations in California, New York, and Hawaii, and smaller groups in Texas and Illinois. Civilian Labor ForceAsian and Pacific Islander women are very active in the labor force. In March 1996, approximately 59 percent were labor force participants. This rate mirrors participation by black and white women (see Table 2). Asian and Pacific Islander women's participation rate was higher than women of Hispanic origin (53.4 percent). Table 2 Employment Status of Women by Racial Groups, March 1996 and 1996 Annual Averages (numbers in thousands) Employment Status Civilian noninstitutional population In civilian labor force Labor force participation rate Employed Unemployed Unemployment rate Not in labor force Asian and Pacific Islander March 1996 White Black 1222 1222 Hispanic 1996 3,626 2,125 58.6 2,032 93 4.4 1,501 86,828 51,325 59.1 48,920 2,404 4.7 35,503 13,029 7,869 60.4 7,086 784 10.0 5,159 9,610 5,128 53.4 4,602 525 10.2 4,482 Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, March 1996 and U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January 1997. 2 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Asian and Pacific Islander women were least likely to experience unemployment than any other group of women. Their unemployment rate of 4. 4 percent in March 1996 was lower than the national average for all women and consequently, lower than any other group of women-Hispanic women, 10.2 percent; black women, 10.0 percent; and white women, 4.7 percent. OccupationsAsian and Pacific Islander women are employed in all occupational groups. They show their strongest attachment to the technical, sales, and administrative support jobs, which is also true for all other female racial groups. Their occupational distribution is similar to white women in managerial/professional specialty and service jobs. The high percentage of Asian and Pacific Islander women in management and professional jobs reflects, in part, their high educational attainment. Their distribution in technical, sales, administrative support and operator, fabricator, and laborer jobs closely resembles the distribution for black women. Table 3 Occupational Distribution of Employed Women, By Race, 1996 Occupation Tu1al Asian and Pacific Islander ~ Black Hispanic 30.9 37.8 16.6 3.3 11.1 0.4 31.5 41.9 16.3 2.0 6.9 1.3 22.8 38.4 25.4 2.2 11.0 0.2 17.4 38.4 25 .0 2.9 11.1 1.9 Mgt. & professional specialty 30.3 Tech., sales, & admin. support 41.4 Service 17.5 Precision, production, craft & repair 2.1 Operators, fabricators, & laborers 7.6 Farming, forestry & fishing 1.2 Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey, . March 1996 and U.S. Department ofLabor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Earnings, January 1997. Income and EarningsThe median income2 for Asian and Pacific Islander women who worked year-round, full-time in 1996 was $26,313--73 percent of the $35,788 earned by their male counterparts. Asian and Pacific Islander women had the highest median income of all female groups--white women, $24,264; black women, $21,079; and women of Hispanic origin, $17,855 . 2 Income is defined as the sum of money wages and salaries, net income from self-employment and income other than earnings. Components of income are: wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and tips~ self-employment income, farm self-employment~interest, dividends, net rental income, royalty income, income from estates and trusts~ social security or railroad retirement~Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or other public assistance or public welfare payments~and retirement, survivor, or disability pensions. 3 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Of all year-round, full-time women workers, Asian and Pacific Islander women also had the highest median earnings3 among female groups. At $25,555, they out-earned white women at $25,358; black women at $21,990; and women ofHispanic origin, $19,272. In 1996, their median family income for married couple families was $49,105; married couple families, $54,864; and for a female householder, no husband present, $27,367. These relatively high family income figures reflect a strong attachment to labor force participation and educational attainment Educational AttainmentMany Asian and Pacific Islanders have come to America in pursuit of higher education. As a racial group, education is highly valued in their communities, however, educational attainment of different Asian and Pacific Islander groups varies widely. The 1990 census showed that among Asians, only 31 percent of Hmongs had graduated from high school compared with 88 percent of Japanese. For Pacific Islanders, those with at least a high school diploma ranged from 64 percent for Tongans and 80 percent for Hawaiians. Of the 2.9 million Asian and Pacific Islander women age 25 and older in March 1996, 80 percent had a least a high school diploma. In addition, 57 percent had attended college and/or received an associate's or bachelor's degree. About 20 percent had not completed high school. Marital Status, Family, and PovertyFor the 3.7 million Asian and Pacific Islander women age 15 and over, over half (55 percent) were in married-couple families. Because Asian and Pacific Islander women are a fairly young group, very few are widowed or divorced. Only seven percent were widowed, four percent divorced, and three percent separated. The remaining 30 percent were single, never married. There were 2.1 million Asian and Pacific Islander families in March 1996. Eighty percent were married-couple families, 12 percent had female householders, no spouse present, and the remaining 8 percent consisted of male householders, no spouse present. Asian and Pacific Islander families are large: 22 percent had five persons or more persons, compared to 14 percent of all families. Asian families were larger partly because the percentage of children under 18 years old who live with both parents was higher than the general population, 81 percent versus 70 percent. Pacific Islander families were larger partly because of higher fertility rates, but also because many maintain traditions of strong and cohesive extended families. Between 1987 and 1996, the number Asian and Pacific Islanders 18 years of age and over below the poverty level increased by 61 percent from 566,000 to 884,000 persons. Their poverty rate remained fairly constant--12.9 percent in 1987 and 12.3 percent in 1996. Their family poverty rate of 12. 7 percent was lower than that of any other group except white, non Hispanic families-white, non Hispanics, 6.5 percent; black, 26.1 percent; and Hispanic origin, 26.4 percent. 3Ewnings is defined as the swn of money wages or salary and net income from farm and nonfarm selfemployment 4 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR WOMEN'S BUREAU REGIONAL ADDRESSES/CONTACT INFORMATION Radon I; Boston Re:ion V; Chicaeo Re:ion IX; San Francisco Jacqueline Cooke, RA J .F.K. Federal Building Government Center Room E-270 Boston, MA 02203 Phone: (617) 565-1988 1-800-518-3585 Fax: (617) 565-1986 Nancy Chen, RA 230 S. Dearborn Street, Room 1022 Chicago, IL 60604 Phone: (312) 353-6985 1-800-648-8183 Fax: (312) 353-6986 Barbara Sanford, Acting RA 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 927 San Francisco , CA 94105 Phone: (415)975-4750 1-877-923-6509 Fax: (415) 975-4753 (lllinoia, Indiana, Michigan, Minneaoca, Ohio, (Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada) (Connecticut, Maine, MasaachuscUs, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) Re:ion II; New York Mary C. Murphree, RA 201 Varick Street Room 601 New York, NY 10014-4811 Phone: (212) 337-2389 Fax: (212) 337-2394 W18COD11in) Re:ion X; Seattle Re:ion VI; Danas Delores L. Crockett, Acting RA Federal Building 525 Griffin Street, Suite 735 Dallas, TX 75202 Phone: (214) 767-6985 1-888-887-6794 Fax: (214) 767-5418 (Arbnaaa, Louuiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) Karen Furia, RA 1111 Third Avenue, Room 885 Seattle, WA 98101-3211 Phone: (206)553-1534 Fax: (206) 553-5085 1-888-296-7011 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) Women's Bureau CJearin1house 1-800-827-5335 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands) Re:ion VII; Kansas City Re:ion III· Philadelphia Cornelia Moore, RA Gateway Building Room 2450 3535 Market Street Phildelphia, PA 19104 Phone: (215) 596-1183 1-800-379-9042 Fax: (215) 596-0753 E-mail Address (Iowa, Kanau, Miuouri, Ncbrulca} wb-wwc@dol.gov (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maiyland, Ke:ion VIII· Denver Pcon.sylvania, Virginia, Weat Virginia) Oleta Crain, RA Terese Obrigewitch, BOA 1801 California Street, Suite 905 Denver, CO 80202-2614 Phone: (303) 844-1286 1-800-299-0886 Fax: (303) 844-1283 Re:ion IV; Atlanta Delores L. Crockett, Field Coordinator/RA Atlanta Federal Center, 61 Forsyth Street, SW Suite 7T95 Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: (404) 562-2336 1-800-672-8356 Fax: (404) 562-2413 (Colorado, Montana, North Du:ota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, TcnnC88CC) 5 https://fraser.stlouisfed.org Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Fair Pay Clearin&house Rose Kemp, RA City Center Square Building 1100 Main Street, Suite 1230 Kansas City, MO 64105 Phone: (816) 426-6108 1-800-252-4706 Fax: (816) 426-6107 1-800-347-3743 Internet Address http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/
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