The main reason prime-age black women are out of work has shifted from caring for family in 1979 to illness or disability in 2016: Distribution of earners and nonearners by reason, black women ages 25--54, selected years, 1978--2016
| Working | Ill/disabled | Taking care of home/family | Going to school | Could not/unable to find work | Retired | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 69.1% | 7.7% | 18.5% | 1.0% | 2.5% | 0.2% | 1.1% |
| 1979 | 70.3% | 7.7% | 17.9% | 1.5% | 2.1% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 1980 | 69.5% | 6.6% | 18.7% | 0.8% | 3.8% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 1988 | 75.1% | 4.7% | 15.1% | 1.1% | 2.9% | 0.1% | 0.9% |
| 1989 | 76.0% | 4.5% | 15.0% | 1.5% | 2.4% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| 1990 | 73.8% | 6.3% | 14.6% | 1.5% | 2.5% | 0.3% | 1.0% |
| 1994 | 75.7% | 7.7% | 11.7% | 1.6% | 2.2% | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| 1995 | 76.1% | 8.1% | 11.2% | 1.9% | 1.5% | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| 1996 | 77.2% | 7.0% | 10.7% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| 1999 | 82.7% | 7.3% | 7.2% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| 2000 | 81.8% | 8.3% | 6.8% | 1.1% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| 2001 | 79.7% | 8.7% | 7.2% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| 2006 | 79.0% | 8.4% | 8.5% | 1.8% | 1.0% | 0.8% | 0.5% |
| 2007 | 78.1% | 9.2% | 7.8% | 2.0% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.4% |
| 2008 | 77.5% | 9.3% | 8.3% | 1.8% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 0.5% |
| 2013 | 74.1% | 9.8% | 7.5% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 0.4% |
| 2014 | 75.1% | 9.5% | 8.4% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1.1% | 0.7% |
| 2015 | 76.0% | 10.0% | 7.6% | 2.6% | 2.2% | 1.0% | 0.7% |
| 2016 | 77.8% | 8.4% | 7.9% | 2.6% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.4% |
Notes: Nonearners are those who reported that they did not work any hours or earn any wages over the course of an entire year. Shaded areas denote recessions.
Source: Authors’ analysis of Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement microdata