Public Assets Institute > Policy Areas > Family Economic Security > Employment dipped, the gender gap persisted

Employment dipped, the gender gap persisted

After a steady rise in the first half of 2019, the number of Vermonters working declined by more than 2,000 in August and September, offsetting half the growth tallied from January to July. Vermont’s unemployment rate, which was at an all-time low during the summer, ticked up to 2.2 percent in September.

 

 

 

 

 

Poor moms and kids
Single mothers represented a disproportionate share of families with children in poverty, according to U.S.  Census data for 2018. About 20 percent of all families with children—13,000 of 60,000—were headed by single mothers. But single-female-headed households made up 60 percent of families with children living below the federal poverty threshold, or 4,000 of about 7,000 families.

 

 

 

 

Women’s pay
Vermont women’s earnings equaled about 85 percent of Vermont men’s last year. That was a gap of almost $7,500 a year, based on the median earnings for full-time, year-round workers, according to 2018 Census data released in September. Earnings include salary or wage income, or net income for people who are self-employed.

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