Mayor Peduto, Gender Equity Commission Present Findings On Pittsburgh's Gender And Racial Inequality
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Mayor Bill Peduto joined the Gender Equity Commission to present findings on inequality in the city.
Pittsburgh likes to think of itself as the nation's most livable city.
But that's only true for some.
The mayor's commission issued the first of four reports on Tuesday, this one on Pittsburgh's inequality across gender and race.
"We have rates in our black community that are third-world when it comes to infant mortality," noted Mayor Bill Peduto.
In collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, new data models examined outcomes based on race and gender.
"Most outcomes across health, employment, income, and education, for Pittsburgh's men -- Pittsburgh's white men, excuse me -- are similar to white men in cities across the country," reported Dr. Junia Howell of the University of Pittsburgh.
WATCH: The mayor's press conference with the commission.
"Likewise, Pittsburgh's white women have similar outcomes to those in comparable cities across the country," Howell added.
While Pittsburgh's white residents are basically on par with those in other cities, the city's black residents are in a much worse situation in Pittsburgh than other cities.
"Pittsburgh's black women are more likely to be unemployed and live in poverty than black women in other cities," noted Howell.
"There is a similar story when it comes to our black men," Howell said. "Black men have a higher level of occupational segregation, as well as higher rates of homicide and dying of cancer and cardiovascular disease than black men in comparable cities around the country."
Howell, a sociologist, noted that the reality is that people who are black could improve their lives just by moving out of Pittsburgh to another city.
"We don't want that to happen," said Howell.
Keeping that from happening is the next step, creating a level playing field for all.
"Sexism and racism are quick and shallow answers in the sense of how this plays out in Pittsburgh," said Dr. anupama jain, executive director of the Gender Equity Commission. "What are the policies in place that are creating barriers? That's what we're trying to figure out."
The full report can be found here.
