Via: DBJ

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The average Texas woman may not be who you think she is.

She’s a millennial — 36 years old to be exact. She is a woman of color living in a city and making $35,000 a year or less. She’s working to support her family.

The Texas Women’s Foundation, in conjunction with research for Every Texan, found that 14 million women and girls call Texas home in the third edition of the Economic Issues for Women in Texas report. Half of female Texans live in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston combined.

In addition to defining the average Texas woman, the study looked at how education, housing, health insurance and child care contribute to women’s lives in the Lone Star State as well as how those issues express themselves economically.

The Dallas Business Journal outlined some highlights of their findings.

Education

For every five Texas men who graduated college in 2018, seven women received their degree. Non-white Hispanic and black women lead the way with the largest gaps between their male counterparts.

But despite higher education attainments, women make less in every occupation. Coupled with the wage gap, women also account for two-thirds of the of the outstanding student debt in the country.

WOMEN IN TEXAS GRADUATE AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS
Women of all races are more likely to only enroll, but complete, either a two- or four-year educational program since 2014, according to the report.
While women in Texas graduate at higher rates than their male counterparts, systematic barriers keep women of color from attaining degrees at the same rate as white women, according to the report.

Health insurance

The state of Texas ranks last in the nation for the number of women insured. Texas women are twice as likely to be uninsured compared to other women in America.

Women of color and those aged 18 to 34 are less likely to have insurance in the state.

Child care

Women are often pushed out of the workforce by a lack of affordable childcare, according to the report.

With year-round infant care costing nearly as much as some college tuitions, only 16 percent of Texas families can afford it.