American Indian and Alaska Native Women in the Federal Sector

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Background

Data Sources and Methodology

Results

      Participation of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

      Voluntary Separations of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

      Involuntary Separations of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

      American Indian and Alaska Native Women in Federal Leadership Positions

      Pay Gaps of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

Conclusion

Executive Summary

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is responsible for enforcing Federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against job applicants or employees because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, retaliation, or genetic information.

Previous Federal reports have referenced American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) workforce statistics. However, the EEOC is unaware of reports that focus specifically on AIAN women in civilian Federal service. This profile will show that AIAN employment outcomes in the Federal sector are not equal to those of other groups, including women as a whole and AIAN men.

Main Findings

This report uses fiscal year (FY) 2020 data to compare AIAN women to the total Federal workforce, all women in the civilian Federal workforce, AIAN men in the civilian Federal workforce, and the national civilian labor force (CLF). The analysis focuses on measures related to equal employment opportunities (EEO), such as representation, voluntary and involuntary separations, and pay. Results show that:

• AIAN women accounted for 0.8% of the civilian Federal workforce in FY 2020, more than twice their participation rate in the CLF.
• AIAN women resigned at a rate of 3.7%, higher than the civilian governmentwide rate of 2.3%.
• AIAN women involuntarily separated (removed from service due to workforce reduction, dismissal, and/or termination) from federal agencies at a rate of 0.8%, higher than the governmentwide rate of 0.5%.
• AIAN women are proportionately represented among managers and supervisors, but account for only 0.4% of executives—disproportionate to their presence in the civilian Federal workforce.
• Pay gaps in the Federal sector between AIAN women and other groups were significant in FY 2020. AIAN women earned a median annual salary of $56,432—about $26,237 less than all civilian Federal employees and $22,846 less than all women.

Federal agencies must strive to be model employers and provide meaningful employment opportunity to all employees. The information highlighted in this report can help Federal agencies understand the challenges faced by AIAN women in the workplace and identify ways to advance equal opportunity for AIAN women and all workers.

Background

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits unlawful discrimination in the workplace and established the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) as the agency responsible for monitoring, investigating, and enforcing the anti-discrimination laws. The EEOC is responsible for enforcing Federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against job applicants or employees because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, retaliation, or genetic information. The EEOC also strives to prevent discrimination before it occurs through outreach, education, and technical assistance programs. The EEOC helps Federal agencies strive to become model EEO employers that ensure fair and equitable workplaces for all employees and applicants.[1]

In 2021 President Biden issued The Executive Order on the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities.[2] This order was designed to protect the rights and well-being of tribal nations while respecting the sovereignty of these nations. Executive Order 14049 required executive departments and agencies to help advance education among all Native American students across primary, secondary, and post-secondary educational programs. The Executive Order is intended to promote self-determination and economic growth among Native Americans through strengthening the institution of education, while recognizing the intersectionality of race and sex within these nations.

The need for Executive Order 14049 is evidenced by the data showing persistent inequality between American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) and other race/ethnic groups in the United States. Further, research suggests that these inequalities may have compounding effects on AIAN women. Although employment and pay gaps have decreased between all race, ethnic, and gender groups since 1979, American Indian and Alaska Natives have lagged behind their White counterparts.[3] Furthermore, AIAN women lagged behind White women in both pay and employment, suggesting an intersectionality between race and gender. [4] AIAN women currently make up 0.63% of the U.S. population, and are projected to represent 0.65% by 2030 and 0.69% by 2060.

While the data cited above includes both the federal and private sector workforces, the current study will focus on AIAN women in the civilian federal sector. In furthering the goal of Executive Order 14049, and the mission of the EEOC, this report will provide baseline data for AIAN women in the civilian federal sector and serve as a resource for EEO professionals and policymakers interested in identifying opportunities for advancing equity in the federal sector workforce.

Data Sources and Methodology

This report relies on data drawn from the following sources:

• FY 2020 EEOC Management Directive 715 (MD-715) Workforce Tables provided civilian Federal sector workforce participation rates, separation rates, and advancement data by gender and ethnicity.
• September 2020 (End of FY) U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Enterprise Human Resources Integration – Statistical Data Mart (EHRI) data were used to calculate civilian Federal sector inclusion rates by age, ethnicity, and gender, as well as average salary by ethnicity and gender.
• The American Community Survey (ACS) EEO Tabulation 2014-2018, Table EEO-CIT02R provided data on workforce distributions among citizens in the larger American workforce.

Workforce statistics for AIAN women were compared to the civilian labor force (CLF), the civilian Federal workforce in general, all women in the civilian Federal workforce, and AIAN men in the civilian Federal workforce. The analyses examined a variety of measures related to equal employment opportunity, including:

• Representation
• Age distributions
• Voluntary and involuntary separations
• Participation in management positions
• Pay

Statistical tests of significance and/or associated methodologies were not within scope for this profile report.

Results

Participation Rates of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

In FY 2020, AIAN women participated in the civilian Federal workforce at double the rate they participated in the CLF. Figure 1 (and Table 2 in Appendix A) shows that AIAN women accounted for 0.8% of the civilian Federal workforce, compared to 0.3% of the CLF. AIAN women also exceeded the participation rate of AIAN men, who accounted for 0.6% of the civilian Federal workforce.

Figure 1. Federal and Civilian Labor Force Participation Rates, American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) by Gender, FY 2020

Notes: The participation rate is the number of people from a demographic group in the workforce divided by the total workforce. Data include permanent and temporary employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission using data from its FY 2020 Management Directive 715, Workforce Table A1 and 5-year American Community Survey data from EEO Tabulation 2014-2018, Table EEO-CIT02R—Occupation by Sex and Race/Ethnicity for Residence Geography, Citizen.

Figure 2 (and Table 3 in Appendix A) shows that AIAN women aged 40 and over comprised a larger proportion (70.9%) of the civilian Federal workforce than AIAN women under age 40 (29.1%). Overall, there were about twice as many AIAN women aged 40 and over in the civilian Federal workforce than AIAN women under the age of 40 in FY 2020. This was consistent with the rates for all AIAN men aged 40 and over, all civilian Federal employees aged 40 and over, and all women aged 40 and over. Each of those three groups had about double the participation rates of their respective counterparts under age 40.

Figure 2. Inclusion Rates of American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) by Age and Gender Among Civilian Federal Employees, FY 2020

Notes: The inclusion rate is calculated by dividing the number of employees in an age group by the number of employees within an Ethnic/Gender Group.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission calculations using data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's September 2020 Enterprise Human Resources Integration-Statistical Data Mart.

Voluntary Separations of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

Retention is one factor that influences overall participation rates. In the Federal Government, voluntary separations (specifically, resignations and retirements) are more common than involuntary separations (caused by removal and reductions in force). Voluntary separations occur when federal employees voluntarily resign or retire from Federal agencies, specifically to include removal from their civilian Federal positions due to reduction in force, misconduct, delinquency, suitability, unsatisfactory performance, or failure to qualify for a conversion to a career appointment. The separation rate is the number of people who separated within a demographic group, divided by the number of people in the permanent workforce in that demographic group with the latter as the denominator. For example, for the voluntary separations rate for American Indian and Alaska Native women, the following equation was used:

$\mathrm{\#\; AIAN\; Women\; Women\; Voluntary\; Separations\; Rate}=\genfrac{}{}{1px}{}{\mathrm{\#\; AAIAN\; Women\; Women\; Voluntarily\; Separating}}{\mathrm{Total\; \#\; of\; AIAN\; Women\; Women\; in\; the\; Permanent\; Workforce}}$

Overall, the rate of voluntary separations in the civilian Federal sector was 5.4% in FY 2020 (Figure 3). AIAN women voluntarily separated at a rate of 6.3%, higher than the civilian governmentwide average. AIAN women voluntarily separated at a rate higher than that of AIAN men.

Figure 3. Voluntary Separations Among American Indian and Alaska Natives in the Civilian Federal Workforce, FY 2020

Notes: Voluntary separations include resignations and retirements. Voluntary separation rates are calculated within demographic groups by dividing the number of voluntary separations from the permanent workforce by the number of employees within the permanent workforce. Data only include permanent employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, FY 2020 Management Directive 715, Workforce Table A1.

Figure 4 separates these data into resignation rates and retirement rates (also see Table 4 in Appendix A). The figure illustrates that AIAN women resigned from the civilian Federal workforce at a rate of 3.7%, higher than the civilian governmentwide rate of 2.3%. AIAN women however, retired at a rate slightly lower than AIAN men (2.7%).

Figure 4. Retirement and Resignation Rates Among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) in the Civilian Federal Workforce, FY 2020

Notes: Resignation rates are calculated within demographic groups by dividing the number of resignations from the permanent workforce by the number of employees within the permanent workforce. Data only include permanent employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, FY 2020 Management Directive 715, Workforce Table A1.

Involuntary Separations of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

In addition to voluntarily separating at a higher rate than other Federal employees, AIAN women involuntarily separate at a relatively high rate (Figure 5 and Table 5 in Appendix A). Involuntary separations refer to employees who are removed from service due to either a reduction in the workforce or a dismissal, specifically to include removal from their civilian Federal positions due to reduction in force, misconduct, delinquency, suitability, unsatisfactory performance, or failure to qualify for a conversion to a career appointment. In FY 2020, 0.78% of American Indian and Alaska Native Federal female employees were removed from their civilian Federal positions due to reduction in force, misconduct, delinquency, suitability, unsatisfactory performance, or failure to qualify for a conversion to a career appointment. The rate for American Indian and Alaska Native men was similar (0.65%), but the rates for women overall (0.47%) and all government employees (0.47%) were lower.

Figure 5. Involuntary Separations Among American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) in the Civilian Federal Workforce, FY 2020

Notes: Involuntary separations include reductions in force and removals. Involuntary separation rates are calculated within demographic groups by dividing the number of involuntary separations from the permanent workforce by the number of employees within the permanent workforce. Data include only permanent employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, FY 2020 Management Directive 715, Workforce Table A1.

American Indian and Alaska Native Women in Civilian Federal Leadership Positions

Line employees, supervisors, managers, and executives have different levels of influence and responsibility in the workplace. First-level supervisors are responsible for directing and executing the day-to-day operational objectives of agencies.[5] Managers implement policies, programs, and directives of Executive level management through subordinate supervisors.[6] Executives plan, direct, and formulate policies, set strategy, and provide the overall direction of agencies for the development and implementation of services to accomplish the mission.[7] Participation in supervisory, managerial, and executive positions is one way to measure workforce advancement.

Compared to their Federal sector permanent workforce participation rate (.9%), American Indian and Alaska Native women participated in first-line supervisory levels at a lower rate, representing .6% of civilian Federal supervisors in FY 2020 (Figure 6.A and Table 6 in Appendix A). Moreover, American Indian and Alaska Native women were also underrepresented at the Federal manager (.7%) and Federal executive (.4%) levels.

American Indian and Alaska Native women’s pattern of having a low participation rate as supervisors, managers, and executives, was similar to what American Indian and Alaska Native men experienced in the Federal sector in FY 2020, with the exception of managerial positions in which AIAN men had a slightly (.01%) higher participation rate than the federal sector overall (Figure 6.B). On the other hand, women overall had their highest participation rates in the civilian permanent workforce (42.3%) and manager positions (40.5%) (Figure 6.C).

Figure 6. American Indian and Alaska Natives (AIAN) in Civilian Federal Leadership Positions, FY 2020

1. American Indian and Alaska Native Women

   

2. American Indian and Alaska Native Men

   

3. Women Overall

   

Notes: The participation rate is the number of people from a demographic group in the workforce or a managerial level divided by the total permanent workforce. Data include only permanent employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, FY 2020 Management Directive 715, Workforce Tables A1 and A3.

Pay Gaps of American Indian and Alaska Native Women

On average,[8] AIAN women in the civilian Federal workforce were paid $56,432 annually in FY 2020 (Figure 7 and Table 1). They were paid less than AIAN men ($64,009), women overall ($79,278), and employees governmentwide ($82,669). The civilian Federal sector pay gap between AIAN women and employees governmentwide was smaller than the gap in the general U.S. population. Federal sector AIAN women were paid 68 cents on the dollar paid to the average civilian Federal employee. In comparison, among full-time workers nationwide, AIAN women were paid only 71 cents on the dollar paid to the average woman.

Figure 7. Difference in Median Annual Pay of Federal Sector American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Women Compared to American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Men, All Women, and Civilian Employees Governmentwide, FY 2020

Notes: Values are based on median adjusted base pay. The median is the middle number in a list of numbers sorted in ascending or descending order. Adjusted base pay is the sum of an employee's rate of basic pay and any supplement, after applying any applicable pay cap. See https://dw.opm.gov/datastandards/list.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission calculations using data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's September 2020 Enterprise Human Resources Integration-Statistical Data Mart.

Notes: Values are based on median adjusted base pay. The median is the middle number in a list of numbers sorted in ascending or descending order. Adjusted base pay is the sum of an employee's rate of basic pay and any supplement, after applying any applicable pay cap. See https://dw.opm.gov/datastandards/list.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission calculations using data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's September 2020 Enterprise Human Resources Integration-Statistical Data Mart.

Conclusion

This profile of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women in the civilian Federal service can serve as a baseline for Federal agencies striving to improve recruitment, hiring, and retention of AIAN women in Federal service. AIAN women are vital to our nation’s economy. The Federal Government has an opportunity to increase the participation of AIAN women in the civilian workforce by examining and addressing potential barriers to hiring, retention, and advancement.

The report measured overall participation, participation by protected age status, retention, advancement opportunities, and pay of AIAN women in the civilian Federal workforce in FY 2020. The primary findings include:

• AIAN women face disparities in most of the identified measures related to equal employment opportunities compared to the overall civilian Federal workforce and all women.
• Although the civilian Federal sector employed AIAN women at more than double their rate of participation in the CLF, it was not as effective in retaining or compensating them equitably.
• AIAN women resigned and involuntarily separated at rates higher than the civilian governmentwide rate.
• AIAN women were underrepresented in civilian leadership roles—particularly in executive roles, where they participated at half the rate, they did in the civilian Federal workforce overall.
• AIAN women faced significant pay gaps—earning about $26,200 less than the median civilian Federal employee and $22,800 less than all women.

This report shows that much work is still needed to address the inequities impacting AIAN women in the Federal sector. As Federal agencies strive to become model employers for the larger American workforce, they must identify and address the unique challenges faced by AIAN women.

Federal agencies must strive to be model employers and provide adequate employment opportunity to all employees. This report highlights some of the disparities AIAN women face in the Federal sector with respect to equal employment opportunities. By further investigating the root causes of these challenges, employers can promote the diversity of their workforce and leadership, better retain AIAN women as employees, and offer them more equitable pay.

Appendix A: Data Tables

Notes: The participation rate is the number of people from a demographic group in the workforce divided by the total workforce. FY 2020 MD-715 data filed with EEOC and certified by Federal agencies was aggregated to calculate Federal Workforce Participation values. When aggregating data from cabinet-level agencies, department-wide aggregate reports were used where available, and subcomponent data were used where department-wide reports were unavailable. MD-715 data in this table includes permanent and temporary employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) using data from its FY 2020 Management Directive 715 (MD-715), Workforce Table A1 and 5-year American Community Survey data, EEO Tabulation 2014-2018, Table EEO-CIT02R—Occupation by Sex and Race/Ethnicity for Residence Geography, Citizen.

Notes: The inclusion rate is a percentage calculated by dividing the number of employees in an age group by the total number of employees, all within an ethnic/gender group (AIAN Women, AIAN Men, All Women, or Governmentwide).

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission calculations using data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's September 2020 Enterprise Human Resources Integration-Statistical Data Mart.

Notes: Voluntary separation rates and resignation rates, are calculated within demographic groups by dividing the number of voluntary separations, resignations, or retirements from the permanent workforce by the number of employees within the permanent workforce. Voluntary separations include resignations and retirements. FY 2020 MD-715 data filed with EEOC and certified by Federal agencies was aggregated to calculate the values. Data only include permanent employees. When aggregating data from cabinet-level agencies, department-wide aggregate reports were used where available, and subcomponent data were used where department-wide reports were unavailable.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), FY 2020 Management Directive 715 (MD-715), Workforce Table A1.

Notes: Involuntary separations include reductions in force and removals. Involuntary separation rates are calculated within demographic groups by dividing the number of involuntary separations from the permanent workforce by the number of employees within the permanent workforce. FY 2020 MD-715 data filed with EEOC and certified by Federal agencies was aggregated to calculate separation and permanent workforce values. Data only include permanent employees. When aggregating data from cabinet-level agencies, department-wide aggregate reports were used where available, and subcomponent data were used where department-wide reports were unavailable.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), FY 2020 Management Directive 715 & (MD-715), Workforce Table A1.

Notes: The participation rate is the number of people from a demographic group in the permanent workforce or a managerial level divided by the total permanent workforce. FY 2020 MD-715 data filed with EEOC and certified by Federal agencies was aggregated to calculate these rates. When aggregating data from cabinet-level agencies, department-wide aggregate reports were used where available, and subcomponent data were used where department-wide reports were unavailable. Data include only permanent employees.

Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), FY 2020 Management Directive 715 & (MD-715), Workforce Tables A1 and A3.

[1] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2010). Annual EEO Program Status Report for Fiscal Year 2010, EEO Management Directive 715.

[2] Exec Order No. 14049 of October 11, 2021.

[3] Institute for Women's Policy Research (2020). State-By-State Earnings for American Indian and Alaska Native Women: Wage Gaps Across the States. Institute for Women's Policy Research, IWPR #Q088, September 2020.

[4] Jeffrey D. Burnette (2017). Inequality in the Labor Market for Native American Women and the Great Recession, The American Economic Review, Vol. 107, No. 5, Papers and Proceedings of the One Hundred Twenty-Ninth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association (May 2017), pp. 425-429.

[5] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Instructions to Federal agencies for EEO MD-715 Section IV: Interpretation and completion of workforce data tables. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/management-directive/instructions-federal-agencies-eeo-md-715-0.

[6] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Instructions to Federal agencies for EEO MD-715 Section IV: Interpretation and completion of workforce data tables. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/management-directive/instructions-federal-agencies-eeo-md-715-0.

[7] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Instructions to Federal agencies for EEO MD-715 Section IV: Interpretation and completion of workforce data tables. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.eeoc.gov/federal-sector/management-directive/instructions-federal-agencies-eeo-md-715-0.

[8] All Federal sector pay values are based on median governmentwide pay for the relevant group.