| INTRODUCTION In May
2000 US Women Connect sponsored a moderated on-line working group on the themes of women's
poverty, women's economic security and economic justice, to assess progress made in the US
since the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), address obstacles, and
suggest future action.
During the five weeks, participants were encouraged to
address four themes that relate to the Poverty and Economy sections of the Beijing
Platform for Action, as well as the Women's National Action Agenda developed by U.S. NGOs,
outlining specific ways of implementing the Platform for Action in the U.S. We also made
reference to economic and social rights affirmed in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights.
- The themes are listed below:
 Impact of national and state policies that address
women's poverty and economic security
Self-employment as a strategy to address women's poverty
Women's economic rights in the paid workforce
The global economy and women's economic rights
Goals:
To discuss how well we have done in the U.S. at the
federal, state and local levels in advancing women's economic rights over the past five
years.
To identify obstacles to progress
To learn what creative ways women's and community
organizations have advanced women's economic rights.
To identify future actions to address U.S. women's
poverty
To connect women's voices and ongoing work to strengthen
the national women's movement in the context of the Beijing review process.
Scope:
The Economic Security and Economic Justice
list-serve was in operation for five weeks, from May 1 through June 9.
More than 70 individuals registered for the
working group.
Some 20
messages were posted by women from 9 states representing a broad geographic spread. These
included California, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and
Washington, DC.
The group represented race and class
diversity. It involved women who have received public assistance, some who have
administered public assistance, and some who work as non-profit social service providers
and/or welfare rights activists.
Results:
Because of the interest of participants, the listserv's
primary discussion was on women's poverty and the impact of Welfare reform on women's
economic security.
The result of the working group is a strong critique of
current welfare reform and welfare-to-work policies and a set of recommendations for
changing current public assistance programs in a way that respects women and provides for
real security, as part of the commitment to implement the Beijing Platform for Action.
While the results are not a comprehensive survey of U.S.
women's experiences, they do reflect important views of women experiencing poverty and
their advocates. They draw on surveys of many more women. Several participants expressed
appreciation for the opportunity to participate, to share their situations, compare notes,
and raise frustration and alarm at current trends.
OBSTACLES TO PROGRESS
The most significant and recurring themes were:
The sequence of domestic abuse leading to divorce,
leading to poverty and sometimes homelessness for women of all classes and races.
The current dominant values that: blame poor women for
their poverty; mistrust or demonize women on public assistance; and glorify individual
efforts over community needs.
The role race, class, age, disability, rural/urban
realities and citizenship status play in exacerbating situations that lead to poverty or
prevent women from getting out of poverty.
The concern that not only have welfare-to-work programs
failed to provide economic security for poor women, they have in many cases left women
worse off both financially and in terms of their self-esteem. Many welfare recipients are
pressured into low-wage and contingent work which is highly precarious.
Said one organization's recently released report on
welfare reform cited on the listserv, Welfare reform contradicts the spirit and intent of
the historic Beijing Platform for Action by driving women into deeper poverty rather than
assisting them to a path of economic security. Added another report, As a result of the
new welfare measures, the average income of women-headed families has been reduced by 35%.
Specific concerns raised in the discussion include:
Causes of Women's
Poverty
The growing gap between the rich and the poor in this
boom economy, and a new war on the poor. Many of those leaving welfare are not getting or
keeping jobs, and are worse off than when on welfare.
The desperate need for low-income housing, and the fact
that some women pay up to 75% of their income for housing.
The links between domestic violence, homelessness and
poverty, and the need for more shelters for battered women.
The links between disability and poverty, and the
difficulty in accessing benefits
The links between divorce and poverty, and mixed responses
about how to pursue deadbeat dads
Commented one participant, I am recently divorced, just
turned 50, and not entitled to any benefits from my ex-husband. I had left the job market
at his insistence, and when I returned I was often hired as a long-term temp with no
benefits.
"I live in Utah where we have 2.7% unemployment.
There are enough jobs for everyone to have three, which is what it takes to be able to
afford housing, transportation, food, child care and debt payments."
Limited Social Services and Wages
The lack of services for the working poor, including low
cost housing, childcare and healthcare. Some women are working 2 or 3 jobs to get the
equivalent of a living wage. Benefits are often decreased dollar for dollar for any income
women make. Women need the government benefits on top of meager wages.
The nation's unwillingness to invest in women and
children in a preventive way leads to costlier interventions later. The lack of nutrition
and education for children may contribute to crime and prison costs later.
The growth of the prison system is linked to lack of
investment in poor communities and the racist nature of drug policy and prosecutions.
Race, class and gender inequities in the transportation
system (investment of federal and state dollars) means roads are prioritized over public
transportation systems. Poor women have difficulty accessing transportation for work,
childcare and other daily needs.
Texas is now pushing women with small children into the
workforce. My personal opinion is that we as a society would be better off paying her to
stay home and mother than sending her to two minimum wage jobs (what it would take to
support her family while her children are watched in less than safe supervision and then
when they are older, running the streets without a parent available, Ultimately, we as a
nation are going to reap what we sow.
Administration of Benefits
The way benefits are distributed is detrimental to
women's self-worth and self-sufficiency. Many women have been lied to, insulted and
verbally attacked.
The system often sees women as trying to get away with
something, and intrudes in women's financial and personal lives. The constant monitoring
of poor women is not efficient or cost effective given the low real level of fraud.
Job training programs tend to offer little assistance and
point women to minimum wage jobs. Women have had to find educational and career
opportunities on their own and create their own networks.
There is some indication of political corruption in the
awarding of welfare-related contracts to social service agencies.
The establishment of state block grants in some cases
gives the states incentives to save budget expenses (or allocate elsewhere) by cutting the
welfare rolls. Many women's cases are closed due to lost paperwork.
A new study released in Illinois on May 6 found that many
states are denying the working poor benefits to which they are legally entitled. States
and localities are making it hard for eligible people to get benefits and misinforming the
working poor about what help is available to them.
By attacking the applicants on a personal basis,
insulting them and devaluing their self-worth, welfare agencies make it considerably more
difficult for these women. Many are abuse survivors and it becomes harder for them to gain
the self-esteem necessary to make it in the workforce.
FUTURE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS US WOMEN'S
POVERTY
There was a call for policies that restore and strengthen
the social safety net for women and children and funding programs that support women on
the path to economic self-sufficiency. Recommendations for action include:
Government, media and civil society
Focus on values, including compassion and a sense of the
common good over shortsightedness and greed.
Support unions to improve wages, benefits and quality of
work overall.
Work to organize immigrant women.
Address the wage gap between women and men.
Federal, state and local government
Provide greater support for low-income housing, day care
and shelters
Raise the minimum wage; offer benefits to the working
poor to equal a living wage
Deliver services without the intrusive oversight and
mistrust of beneficiaries
Provide universal health care
Supply a publicly funded transportation system, paid for
by all to benefit all equally.
Support job development efforts to create secure,
full-time, living-wage jobs with benefits.
Provide legal support for women going through divorce, to
gain equitable financial settlements.
For welfare recipients, count as work-activity education
leading to college degrees.
Ensure that all the poor are aware of the full range of
services they are entitled to (including the provision of translation services).
Restore food stamp eligibility to immigrants.
Stop the criminalization of welfare recipients through
procedures such as mandatory fingerprinting.
Non-Profit organizations, community organizations, poor people's movements
Build political pressure by the people affected. A new
network, the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, is aiming to do just that.
Begin to prepare now for the federal reauthorization of
welfare legislation in 2002.
Affirm and campaign for the economic human rights of poor
people
Provide opportunities for women to support each other and
gain self-worth
Submitted by: Carol Barton, Working Group Moderator
Alt-WID, NY*
*Organizational names are listed for identification purposes only.
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