You’ve probably seen Jorge Ramos in one of the Home Depot parking lots that dot the Sacramento landscape. You’ve probably even hired him. But a new study by California’s Employment Development Department reveals that women are shockingly underrepresented in this segment of the economy.
EDD Executive Director Patrick W. Henning said the finding was completely unexpected.
“When we started the study, we expected to find California leading the way in getting more female workers into parking lots across the state,” Henning said. “What we actually found is the exact opposite. It’s very distressing.”
The numbers tell the story. There has been absolutely no increase in the number or proportion of women looking for work in Home Depot parking lots over the last ten years. Even worse, says Henning, the actual number has remained at zero since Barack Obama’s two terms as President.
But that’s not all. EDD also looked at another important segment of the workforce and found equally shocking results. The number of men working as hotel maids has actually dropped below zero.
“I’ve been an advocate for the labor movement and equal rights since Bill Clinton was President, but I’ve never seen such disheartening data,” said Henning, who has previously worked for the California Council of Laborers, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and the Department of Industrial Relations.
“I remember the days when I encountered a man changing my hotel bedsheets at least once every five years,” Henning said. “I don’t know how we got here, but California state government absolutely will not sleep until this injustice is corrected.”
