One of Choice magazine's Outstanding Academic Books of 1999 Accepted wisdom about the opportunities available to African American and Latina women in the U.S. labor market has changed dramatically. Although the 1970s saw these women earning almost as much as their white counterparts, in the 1980s their relative wages began falling behind, and the job prospects plummeted for those with little education and low skills. At the same time, African American women more often found themselves the sole support of their families. While much social science research has centered on the problems facing black male workers, Latinas and African American Women at Work offers a comprehensive investigation into the eroding progress of these women in the U.S. labor market. The prominent sociologists and economists featured in this volume describe how race and gender intersect to especially disadvantage black and Latina women. Their inquiries encompass three decades of change for women at all levels of the workforce, from those who spend time on the welfare rolls to middle class professionals. Among the many possible sources of increased disadvantage, they particularly examine the changing demands for skills, increasing numbers of immigrants in the job market, the precariousness of balancing work and childcare responsibilities, and employer discrimination. While racial inequity in hiring often results from educational differences between white and minority women, this cannot explain the discrimination faced by women with higher skills. Minority women therefore face a two-tiered hurdle based on race and gender. Although the picture for young African American women has grown bleaker overall, for Latina women, the story is more complex, with a range of economic outcomes among Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Central and South Americans. Latinas and African American Women at Work reveals differences in how professional African American and white women view their position in the workforce, with black women perceiving more discrimination, for both race and gender, than whites. The volume concludes with essays that synthesize the evidence about racial and gender-based obstacles in the labor market. Given the current heated controversy over female and minority employment, as well as the recent sweeping changes to the national welfare system, the need for empirical data to inform the public debate about disadvantaged women is greater than ever before. The important findings in Latinas and African American Women at Work substantially advance our understanding of social inequality and the pervasive role of race, ethnicity and gender in the economic well-being of American women.

This Study Is About African-American Women In Corporate Management And Provides Relevant Action Steps For Companies And Managers To Tap Into The Talent Of This Workforce.

This hands-on manual provides Latinas with the tools they need to succeed at work by examining some of the societal and cultural obstacles that hinder their progress. Despite being 20 million strong, Latinas represent America's most undervalued human resource. This career guide is the only one of its kind to focus specifically on empowering the working women of the Latina community to embrace success and build skills for workplace advancement. The Latina's Guide to Success in the Workplace explores the complexity of the Hispanic/Latino identity and the impact of this culture on professional mobility. The author asserts that there are five obstacles which Latinas confront within their own belief system: the idea that women do not need an education; the assumption that the needs of men come first; a belief that it is sinful to desire money; the opinion that Latinas should not be ambitious; and the mindset that successful women in the United States lose their femininity. Throughout the book, up-to-date research, case studies, and inspirational interviews offer strategies for overcoming the cultural factors that limit Latinas and providing a roadmap for achieving success.

Latinas in the Workplace highlights the stories of eight exceptional women. It is the third book in the Journeys to Leadership series that features stories about extraordinary women who have found paths to success in male-dominated arenas. Even though each took a different route to success, these women share an overarching, almost implicit, understanding of what they aspired to: the freedom to choose where and how to invest time and energy, to establish professional and personal balance, and enjoy the luxury of defining that balance.Despite their different professional aspirations, their journeys are rooted in similar ground tilled long before they entered the work world—a strong sense of family, influential religious traditions, and formidable ties to their cultural heritage. The eight Latinas showcased in this book – a foundation president, two business CEOs, a doctor, a former college president, a teacher and author, and two school superintendents – grew up with a determination to get educated that was fostered by parents and grandparents. All of them hold advanced degrees. Engrained in each of them is a sense of honor, the need to treat others with respect, and an inner strength—qualities nurtured by family members. While each had to contend with negative forces, whether from within or outside their culture, and drew strength from the experience, they also acknowledge that being able to navigate two cultures, and being bilingual, has given them a unique perspective and two distinct ways of dealing with people. Although Latinos constitute one of the fastest growing segments of our population, these Latina leaders represent a relatively small percentage of women in leadership in the United States. They hope that their stories inspire not only their contemporaries but the next generation of Latinas as well. The women profiled in this book are: Sarita Brown, President, Excelencia in Education; Tina Cordova, President, Queston Construction; Sally Garza Fernandez, President, Fernandez Group; Carmella Franco, Superintendent, Woodland California School District; Christine Johnson, former President, Community College of Denver; Thelma López-Lira, M.D.Darline Robles, Executive Officer for the Los Angeles County Office of Education; Beatriz Salcedo-Strumpf, Author and Instructor at the State University of New York in Oswego.

What Latina women face in business, and what tools managers need to maximize this important segment of the workforce.

"Over the last forty years, black women have come into their own, but they still have far to go. In 1940, most black women who worked outside the home were domestics. Today millions of dedicated black women have joined the work force. Yet fewer than 3 percent have risen into the corporate ranks. Why so few? By the year 2000, 8.5 million black women will be working outside the home. What can they expect?" "In Work, Sister, Work, Cydney and Leslie Shields go deep into the problems black women confront in the workplace in order to answer these questions. For them there is not just the glass ceiling of corporate politics and sexism, the old boys' club and the dual demands of home and office - experienced by all women who seek to advance - the ceiling black women run into is concrete. They must bear the double burden of their sex compounded with their race." "And there is more, according to the authors. Black women have been unable to develop an adequate sense of their own worth and power to accomplish their ends. Until the black woman comes to terms with these problems, as well as with problems of her own making, she will never get ahead." "Work, Sister, Work is directed to the black woman who wants to take control of her life and achieve career satisfaction. The authors are writing from years of research and experience gained from conducting their workshop "Black Women Can Win," as well as their conversations with more than four thousand black women from all walks of life. As a result, the authors not only shed light on the significant problems of the black woman but also offer solutions." "Work, Sister, Work helps the reader identify her skills and strengths and discover her weaker points. Checklists, charts, and self-quizzes point the way to improvement. And helpful hints, tips, and survival techniques show the black working woman how to get from where she is to where she wants to go." "More than a how-to guide, it is intimate and inspirational. Seasoned black working women from around the country share their perspectives and advice on attaining career goals, among them Xernona Clayton, assistant vice president at CNN; Elynor Williams, vice president at Sara Lee Corporation; and Clara Adams-Ender, one of two black female brigadier generals in the U.S. Army." "The authors' message is clear. As a black woman you have to be strong, but you also have to take a hard, long look at your life in order to meet the challenge ahead." "Work, Sister, Work will prepare you for that challenge."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This collection of original research articles explores how race, ethnicity, and social class have shaped the work lives of women. Women and Work explores womenÆs working conditions, their wages and salaries, their abilities to control their work environments, and how they see themselves and their options in the workplace. A great deal of importance is given to women of color, non-citizens, and working-class womenùgroups that are often neglected in other treatments of this subject. The integration of work and family, womenÆs vision of their own work and consciousness as employees, and womenÆs resistance to exploitative and limiting work are themes are also addressed throughout this book. Written by and interdisciplinary group of women scholars, Women and Work will be of interest to faculty, researchers, and advanced students in the fields of sociology, organization studies, psychology, gender studies, womenÆs history, and economics.