August 06. 2003
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SPECIAL
EDITION
M in o r ity
W om en M ak e
W o r k fo r c e
G a in s
Women of color
concentrated in certain
industries
(AP) - Minority women are getting more private-
sector jobs in America than they were 10 years ago
but still face significant workplace challenges, a
government report said.
M inority women made up nearly 15 percent o f the
U.S. private-sector work force in 2001, up about a
third from 11 percent in 1990, said the Equal Employ
ment Opportunity Commission study, “ Women o f
Color: Their Employment in the Private Sector,
released Thursday.
But many were still concentrated in lower-wage
industries and jobs, the report found.
Although minority women have made gains in the
workplace, “we see some stubborn patterns needing
our attention,” said commission chair Cari M.
Dominguez. “Too many women ofcolor are concen
trated in certain industries and appear to have pla-
teaued in lower occupational categories.”
Black women were the largest group studied in the
survey. Almost 8 percent o f the private-sector work
force - more than halfofall working minority women
- are black women. They are concentrated in lower-
wage jobs.
The report found nursing and residential care
facilities employed a higher percentage o f black
women - more than 23 percent - than any other
industry. Next was the social assistance field, where
black women employees comprise about 18 percent
o f the work force.
Black women were also over-represented in sales,
clerical and service jobs.
The number o f Hispanic women in the private-
sector workplace grew the most in the last 10 years
- more than doubling - to just under 5 percent o f all
private-sector workers.
The crop production industry has the highest
percentage o f Hispanic w omen among its employees
- about 19 percent. About 16 percent o f agriculture
and forestry jobs are filled by Hispanic women.
Personal and laundry services rank third for Hispanic
women, who make up more than 13 percent o f the
industry’s work force.
“The industries where these women o f color are
working are not the high-paying jobs,” said Melissa
Josephs, director o f equal opportunity policy at
Women Employed, a Chicago-based group. "There’s
still a need to have a commitment to breaking the
glass ceiling.”
Asian women, who make up more than 2 percent
o f the private-sector work force, were generally in
better positions. They were most represented in the
computer and electronics manufacturing industry,
where they comprise nearly 5 percent o f the work
force.
Josephs lauded the study. “E m ployers should
take it as an opportunity to look w ithin their
w orkplace to see if they really do have a focus on
diversity and if th e y ’re m eeting their diversity
goals,” she said.
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High school students don medical clothes and gather around a mannequin on an operating table to experience a simulated surgery at Oregon
Health Sciences University. An OHSU nurse directs the learning.
M e d S ta r s E x p e r ie n c e H e a lth C a r e e r s U p C lo s e
Summer program
focuses on
underserved
populations
A g ro u p o f m u ltic u ltu ra l and
underserved teens recently got a first
hand look at potential health careers
thanks to the MedStars Program at O r
egon Health Sciences University.
The students participated in a five-
day exploration o f the life o f a health
care student and professional health
care provider.
The program was created to encour
age multicultural and underserved high
school students who are serious about
medical careers.
“ Hike helping people and I’ve always
been fascinated with everything hav
ing to do with medicine,” said Whitney
Alexander o f northeast Portland.
The 16-year-old will be a senior at
Grant High School. Her goal is to be a
plastic surgeon in reconstructive and
Forecasts Call For Job Growth
Service industry
creates half of new jobs
TheOregon Employment Department
forecasts that the state will add 215,000
jobs in the next decade, increasing em
ployment by 14 percent.
While this is good news compared with
the current economic situation, the gains
are modest compared with gains during
the prior decade, when the state added
over300,000jobs and grew by 24 percent.
Services industries are expected to
account for almost hal f o f the state’s new
jobs. Among the most rapidly growing
services industries are health, business
and private education services.
Population growth is expected to
boost employment across a wide range
o f industries including construction,
retail trade, finance, insurance, real es
tate and government.
Although O fig o n ’s manufacturing
sector is expected to add nearly 12,000
jobs, employment in many key manu
facturing industries, such as high tech
nology and transportation equipment,
is not expected to regain pre-recession
employment levels.
In addition, a number o f manufactur
ing industries are expected to see job
losses. Among these declining indus
tries are several resource-based indus
tries; lumber and wood products, food
products, and paper products. The pri
mary metals industry is expected to de
cline due in part to increased energy
prices, combined with low market prices
and international competition. Produc
tion o f many labor-intensive products,
including apparel and textiles, is ex
pected to continue to shift overseas.
Regional forecasts suggest that job
growth will vary from under 10 percent
to more than 15 percent.
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cosmetic surgery. She volunteers at
Her interest in becoming an anesthe
OHSU D oem becherChildren’s Hospi siologist was sparked at age 16 when
tal and at Providence Medical Center. she was at OHSU with her mother who
Another student has gone from be suffers from dementia.
ing homeless to taking the first step
“When I saw those nurses, doctors
toward her dream o f becoming a physi and others walking around 1 knew right
cian.
then I wanted to be like those people. I
"I grew up with homelessness,” said wanted to help people. 1 realized, oh my
Laranda Lee, a student from a Transi gosh, I want to go to OHSU for school,"
tional Living Program in Medford.
Lee said.
role in the
management of these natural resources.
Visit our website: www.or.blm.gov/or953
i