Even though women and people of color make up the majority of the direct care workforce, they have less financial stability than male and white workers in the space, PHI found. Forty-eight percent of Hispanic workers and 47% of Black workers in the sector live in low-income households, while 41% of white workers do. For women, that number is 40%, compared to 38% for men, PHI said.

“It’s clear that in an already marginalized workforce, women, people of color and immigrants generally fare worse than their counterparts, which means that we must focus significant support on these critical populations,” said Robert Espinoza, vice president of policy at PHI.

To tackle these inequities in the direct care workforce, PHI on Tuesday launched a new institute, The Direct Care Worker Equity Institute, that will conduct studies, perform advocacy and develop workforce interventions.