New Survey Finds Most Partnered Indigenous Women Are Primary or Co-Earners

A new national survey of 410 Indigenous women, conducted online in July and August 2025, found that 83% of those married or in domestic partnerships were primary earners or co-earners in their households, and 54% were primary earners.

The findings are in Indigenous Women in the U.S. Workforce: A Comprehensive Nationwide Survey, a report by Dr. Britnee Nguyen of the Indigenous Matriarchs Research Initiative, released Oct. 20. It compares the 54% with a 2023 Pew Research Center finding that women are the primary earners in 16% of U.S. opposite-sex households.

“I was struck by how many Indigenous women are the primary or co-earners in their households,” Nguyen wrote in an email to IND. “Indigenous women are not only caring for their families, but also working hard to provide for them financially. These contributions as economic providers may reflect longstanding Indigenous traditions of providing for their families and communities.”

Participants represented 232 Indigenous affiliations, lived in 43 states and held jobs from pediatrician and big game biologist to corrections officer and Tribal chairperson.

Ninety-four percent said their careers were important to them, and 88% liked what they did at work. Beyond paying the bills (90%), the most common motivations for working were contributing to a meaningful cause and giving back to their communities (64% each).

“One of the major findings is that many Indigenous women are motivated to work because they want to give back to their communities and contribute to a meaningful cause,” she wrote. “I believe this reflects Indigenous values of reciprocity and looking out for the collective good, rather than focusing solely on individual achievement.”

Ninety-three percent had experienced at least one of seven workplace microaggressions listed in the survey, most often having their judgment questioned in their area of expertise (74%), others making assumptions about their culture (73%) and others getting credit for their ideas (70%).

Eighty-six percent reported a strong connection to their Indigenous identity, rising to 94% among women who had taken part in a coming-of-age or womanhood ceremony, for themselves or another woman. Those women were also more likely to give a portion of their earnings to family or friends (61% versus 39%).

The report calls the study exploratory; its convenience sample was, on average, slightly older and more highly educated than employed Indigenous women overall.

Nguyen, a Vietnamese/Blackfeet (Amskapi Piikani) descendant, founded and directs the initiative. She holds a PhD in American Indian Studies from the University of Arizona; the research was originally part of her doctoral dissertation.

“It was exciting to see Indigenous women represented in so many different professions,” she wrote. “We’re contributing to the economy in a wide range of industries, and it’s time those contributions were recognized.”