The United States workforce has an equity problem. As wealth inequality surges, a closer look at the workforce indicates that all workers are not starting in the same place. Even when individuals have access to education and training, structural inequality underpins barriers to employment and success. 

In their report Race-Explicit Strategies for Workforce Equity in Healthcare and IT, Race Forward argues that “Dominant messages about personal responsibility… fail to recognize the historical and intergenerational way in which multiple systems, including not only workforce, but also education, housing, criminal justice and others, have created an inherent set of disadvantages for people of color.”

Knowing this, it is no surprise that low-paying jobs are also unevenly distributed across U.S. demographics. The Center for American Progress reports in A Design for Workforce Equity that “women and people of color at all education levels overwhelmingly make up most of the workforce in lower-paying jobs.”

As the door remains shut for opportunities that will lead to success, much of this wealth inequality is inherited. These systems become only more entrenched with each generation.

What is the 2Gen approach?

While women and people of color are disproportionately low-income, they are also more likely to head a single parent household. There’s a great deal of work to be done on a systemic level to address these disparities, but a two-generation (2Gen) approach can help families navigate and confront educational barriers.

2Gen programs aim to initiate an intergenerational cycle of success by including both the parent and the child in the learning process. Research shows that it is more likely for a child to succeed in education and employment when their parent succeeds, and vice versa. 

These programs measure the success of both the parent and the child, both short-term and long-term, and collaborate with families to ensure a deep understanding of their goals and needs.