Professional black women grew four times faster than professional black men

Evidence

The progressive role of education affected women’s placement within the black middle class. Although the Talented Tenth in reality hardly rose above 1 percent for the entire time between 1890 and 1910, the proportion of professional black women to men changed dramatically. During these two decades the number of black women engaged in professional service rose by 219 percent, while their male cohorts rose by 51 percent. — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent, 215

Categorization

• SEED: The ‘Female Talented Tenth’ statistic — a female professional class growing at 219 percent while men’s grew at 51 percent — is a striking, quotable counterpoint to Talented-Tenth history dominated by male figures like Du Bois.
• XREF: connects to: Only one percent of black working women ever reached professional middle-class status — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 210; Women’s professional ranks grew four times faster than men’s, driven by teaching. — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent: The Women’s…, 216