Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to record a commentary for NPR regarding the release of new census data showing that 2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.
While the official press release stated that there was no statistical change in the poverty rate for female-headed families, the reality is that 4.2 million such families are impoverished.
That means that nearly a third of all female-headed households live in poverty—a number that shoots up to 40 percent for black and Hispanic families headed by single mothers.
The statistics are staggering when you consider that:
- A fifth of all girls are poor;
- 13 percent of adult women live in poverty;
- Almost twice as many elderly women as elderly men are impoverished;
- Real earnings for women dropped 2 percent to $35,745, compared with a 1 percent decline for men to $46,367;
- The unemployment rate for female-headed families is 12.2 percent, compared to 7.1 percent for married men; and,
- 43.5 percent of children living in female-headed households are poor, compared to 9.9 percent of children living in married couple households.
Despite what should be jaw-dropping statistics, few in the mainstream media have talked about the female face of poverty today.
There is an untold story not only in the numbers themselves, but also in what’s behind the numbers.
It is the story of the millions of women who face insurmountable odds and yet every day, bit-by-bit, they are working to beat those odds and create a better life for themselves and their children.
They are women like Lee, a single mother who fled domestic violence and entered a shelter program with her 5-year-old son. She secured a job with a local retail store and through the shelter received financial education to develop a budget and begin restoring her credit. She worked to relieve medical debt totaling $2,211. As a result of free tax preparation services, she received a $3,640 refund that was used to further pay down debt and deposit more than $2,000 in her savings account. She is now taking placement tests toward pursuing a degree in emergency medical services.
While Washington Area Women’s Foundation is very proud of the work we’re doing to improve the lives of women like Lee through our Stepping Stones initiative, we know that it’s not enough.
In his final letter to President Obama, the late Senator Edward Kennedy referred to health care reform as “above all a moral issue.”
I would argue that reducing poverty among women and their children is also a moral issue and that everyone needs to be part of the solution.
What will you do?
Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat is The Women’s Foundation’s Vice President of Programs.
