The Poverty, Race, Women, and Literacy discussion list will hold the discussion "Gender, Race, SES and Adult Literacy: What does the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) tell us?" from May 21 through May 29. Our guest discussant will be Elizabeth Greenburg, principal research analyst from the American Institutes for Research (AIR).

Key Points from NAAL 2003 related to Literacy, Gender, Race, and Socioeconomic Status (SES)

• Between 1992 and 2003, women’s average document and quantitative literacy scores increased. During the same time period, men’s average document literacy score decreased and there was no statistically significant change in average quantitative literacy for men.
• Between 1992 and 2003, women’s average prose literacy score stayed the same, while men’s average prose literacy score decreased.
• In 2003, women had higher average prose and document literacy than men, and men had higher average quantitative literacy than women. In 1992, there was no statistically significant difference between men and women in their average prose literacy, but men had higher average document and quantitative literacy than women.

• Between 1992 and 2003, average prose, document, and quantitative literacy increased for Black adults.
• Between 1992 and 2003, average prose and document literacy decreased for Hispanic adults. Average quantitative literacy did not change for Hispanic adults. The percentage of the adult population (age 16 and older) that identified themselves as Hispanic increased from 8 percent in 1992 to 12 percent in 2003.
• Between 1992 and 2003, average prose literacy increased for Asian/Pacific Islander adults and there was no statistically significant change in average document and quantitative literacy for this group.
• Between 1992 and 2003, there was no statistically significant change in average prose and document literacy for white adults, but there was an increase in quantitative literacy.

• Among adults with Below Basic prose literacy, 26 percen t lived in households with average incomes of less than $10,000 and only 7 percent lived in households with average incomes of $60,000 or greater. Among adults with Proficient prose literacy, 2 percent lived in households with average incomes of less than $10,000 and 65 percent lived in households with average incomes of $60,000 or greater.
• Higher percentages of adults with higher literacy levels than adults with lower literacy levels were employed full-time, and lower percentages were out of the labor force. Sixty-four percent of adults with Proficient prose literacy were employed full-time, compared with 29 percent of adults with Below Basic prose literacy. Eighteen percent of adults with Proficient prose literacy were not in the labor force, compared with 57 percent of adults with Below Basic prose literacy.
• The occupational groups with the highest average prose, document, and quantitative literacy scores were Professional and related and Management, Business, and Financial. The occupational groups with the lowest average prose document and quantitative literacy scores were Service; Farming, Fishing, and Forestry; Transportation and Material Moving; Production; and Construction and Extraction.

Guest Bio

Resources for Discussion

• A First Look at the Literacy of America's Adults in the 21st Century
• The Health Literacy of America's Adults
• Literacy in Everyday Life
• Literacy Behind Bars

Last updated: Wednesday, 04-Mar-2009 09:17:27 EST