The gap between the richest and poorest Americans is widening. Half of all income in 2012 went to the top ten percent, and the U.S. has one of the highest child poverty rates of any developed country. Women can hold down full time jobs, be caregivers and parents – do it all – yet still live in poverty in our country.
THE FACTS
Women and children are living in poverty. 42 million women American women – 1 in 3 – and 28 million children live in poverty or are right on the brink of it.
Minimum wage women are not enabled to make ends meet. Nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women, and most have no sick days.
American women have multiple full time jobs. Two-thirds of American women are either the primary or co-breadwinners of their families juggling work and caregiving.
Higher wages would reduce poverty (by half!). Closing the wage gap would cut the poverty rate in half.
Focus on single moms is critical . Single motherhood and lack of a college degree are two of the strongest indicators of poverty.
For information from our source, go to The Shriver Report: A Women’s Nation Pushes Back From the Brink
NY STATS
Child poverty rate: 23% – Senior poverty rate: 17% – Women in poverty: 17% – Single-parent families with related children that are below poverty: 36% More Info
The numbers for NYC women are even lower as revealed in New York Women’s Foundation’s Well-Being Index
THE SOLUTIONS
Individuals can take action including building a stable foundation, investing in yourself, and using the power of the purse and ballot, as outlined in the Shriver Report.
Businesses can examine practices, some unintentional, that suppress wages, limit opportunities and undermine the economic security of female workers.
And, government can address long standing obstacles like the minimum wage, access to education, and affordable childcare.
Non-traditional jobs can be viewed on our Opportunity and Access page.
Also visit NYSPowHer pages on Equal Pay and Workplace Fairness.
FEATURED CAMPAIGNS
These effort address the economic consequences of our culture’s underpaying and undervaluing “women’s work.”
Domestic Workers Unite, In 2010, New York domestic workers won a historic victory with the passage of the nation’s first Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, setting minimum standards privately employed nannies, housekeepers, and elder caregivers .
#RaiseUpWomen , New York raising the minimum wage to $9.00/hr over the next three years is not enough. Neither is the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or $15,036 annually for fulltime work. #Raiseupwomen supports political action taken to raise women and minimum wage workers out of poverty. Read more.
#Livingofftips, A campaign supported by the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC) raises awareness that servers can not live off of tips alone and need one fair wage. There are nearly 400,000 tipped workers, and over 50% of these work in the restaurant industry (10% of the workforce). Of that group nearly 70% are women and have a minimum wage of $5.00/hour. Learn more about ROC’s campaign and hear personal stories (including Gloria Steinem’s) of those effected.
LEARN MORE
