Poll: Women Bear Brunt Of Economic Crisis

Minority News
May 6, 2011

http://www.blackradionetwork.com/poll__women_bear_brunt_of_economic_crisis

NEW YORK

Women are bearing the brunt of today's economic crisis,
says a major national poll, the complete findings of
which were released today by the Ms. Foundation for
Women. Two-thirds of Americans report that the economic
downturn continues to have a real impact on their
lives, according to the survey, conducted by Lake
Research Partners. The impact on women, however, has
been particularly severe.

The 2011 Community Voices for the Economy survey of
1,515 adults nationwide was conducted from March 15-24,
2011. It revisited key questions from a January 2010
survey.

"Last year Americans, and especially women, said they
were profoundly affected by the recession," says Anika
Rahman, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for
Women. "This year, the impact continues virtually
unabated, and in some cases is far worse, especially
for low-income women and women of color. The so-called
economic recovery is not reaching women or others in
need-not by a long stretch."

In a key indicator of economic security, the percentage
of Americans who report living paycheck to paycheck all
or most of the time was up five points over 2010 to 49
percent. But the increase among low-income women is
especially staggering: 77 percent report living
paycheck to paycheck, a 17-point jump from last year.
Other highlights include:

    Seventy-one percent of women and 65 percent of men
    say the economic downturn had some or a great deal
    of impact on their families.

    Nearly half of Americans (46 percent) remain
    concerned that they or someone in their household
    could be out of a job in the next 12 months.

    Low-income women continue to feel the greatest
    impact from the downturn, with 80 percent saying it
    has had some or a great deal of impact compared
    with 73 percent of low-income men. Other groups
    experiencing a particularly strong impact are:
    Latinas (74 percent); single mothers (73 percent);
    and women without a college degree (74 percent).

"In today's economic and political climate, women are
being dealt a triple blow," says Anika Rahman. "Indeed,
what was once termed a `mancession' is now a
`womancession.' Women are losing jobs faster than men
because of drastic cuts in areas like education and
health care where they make up the majority of the
workforce. As the majority of state and local public-
sector workers, women are affected most by attacks on
public-sector unions. And women suffer most from cuts
to social services because they're more likely to be
poor and care for children and the elderly."

In a particularly notable finding, the survey revealed
that women-and a robust majority of the American
public-want the government to take a stronger role in
fixing the economy and creating jobs, even if it means
increasing the deficit in the short-term. In fact, a
significant majority of Americans are concerned that
deficit cuts will come at the expense of families and
children.

"While people may support deficit-reduction in the
abstract, our poll demonstrates that they are not
willing to sacrifice programs that help families
survive," says Rahman. "For all of its deficit-cutting
frenzy, and the lengths it goes to tout a rather
superficial recovery, Washington is clearly out of
touch with people's day-to-day lives. Real
Americans-both women and men-are hurting. And current
policy flies in the face of what they say they really
need: jobs and services that will spur recovery and
support families along the way.

"Our political leaders must quickly reprioritize, stop
the reckless gutting of the budget in the name of
deficit-reduction, and create jobs that will enable
women, in particular, to recover," continues Rahman.
"If women cannot move forward, then our economy cannot
move forward. And if our economy cannot move forward,
neither can our nation. Certainly, with the situation
as dire as Americans tell us it is, wasting one more
second is something none of us can afford."
___________________

The Ms. Foundation for Women is a national social
justice foundation committed to building women's power
to ignite change. Every day, it helps over 150
grassroots organizations across the U.S. fight for
changes like good paying jobs, reproductive health,
ending violence against women and girls and the
inclusion of women at decision-making tables. By
investing in social justice trailblazers-especially
women from low-income communities and communities of
color most affected by injustice-it works for a nation
in which power and possibility are not limited by
gender, race, class, or any other factor. The Ms.
Foundation delivers funding, builds skills and connects
activists with allies to create change that benefits
women, families and communities. Since 1972, the Ms.
Foundation has invested over $50 million and influenced
other funders to support solutions from the ground up.

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