Millions Living Above The Poverty Line Also Struggle To Get By
While the poverty rate has remained steady since 2009, WOW's Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and America’s Families reveals that the nation’s “economic insecurity rate” has increased to 45%—three times the 2012 poverty rate of 15%. The report compares American households' incomes to WOW's Basic Economic Security Tables, which measures the income workers need to afford basic needs such as decent housing, basic transportation and food, and save for the future.
WOW Names New President and CEO
Amanda Andere has been named President and CEO of Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) by a unanimous vote of the WOW Board of Directors. Read our full announcement here.
Paycheck Fairness Remains Critical to Women's Economic Security
In recognition of Equal Pay Day, WOW issued this statement, released a new fact sheet on the Paycheck Fairness Act and applauded the President for two new executive actions to fight pay discrimination.
Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and Older Americans
WOW's analysis finds that 50% of America's retired women are economically insecure.
Listen to WOW’s Senior Scholar, Mary Gatta discuss her book, All I Want Is A Job!: Unemployed Women Navigating the Public Workforce System on the Brian Lehrer Show. Mary talks about her experience as an undercover waitress trying to navigate the One-Stop Career Centers and ways that our workforce development policy and programs can be improved to better meet the needs of all job seekers.
WOW Hosts Inaugural 50th Anniversary Book Event - On June 10th in Washington, DC, WOW hosted the first event in our 50th Book Series and celebrated the launch of WOW's newest Women & Work project. Participants enjoyed a lively discussion with WOW Senior Scholar and author Dr. Mary Gatta as she introduced her new book, All I Want Is A Job!
Brigid O'Farrell's She Was One of Us and Marianne Cooper's Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times will be our next selections in the book series! Join us in July and August respectively to hear from the authors and discuss these books. Click here to receive updates and information about these upcoming events and WOW's 50th celebration this fall.
WOW and MAOA release new report on elder economic security: Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity Among Massachusetts' Elders Report (2014) (04-07-14)
Modern Rosie the Riveter a Path to Women’s Higher Pay, Bloomberg (03-26-14)
Does NJ need a higher minimum wage for restaurant workers? "Wider Opportunities for Women called for the change after releasing a study that found nine out of 10 restaurant servers at the Shore don’t make enough to pay for their basic needs." Asbury Park Press (02-13-14)
Pay gap between N.J. women and men grew in 2012, federal data shows, The Star-Ledger (01-15-14)
San Diego Mayoral Election: Use Elder Index to Determine Seniors' Economic Needs, San Diego Source (12-26-13)
Office of Violence Against Women: Prosecutors Can Help Protect and Support Survivors’ Economic Security, US Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women blog (11-21-13)
Innovative Projects Address Economic Impacts of Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence in Communities Nationwide, US Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women blog (11-18-13)
"Enough!" Says Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) in Congressional Briefing with WOW on Living Below the Line Report: Women and their Families Should Be Able to be Economically Secure throughout their Lives (11-14-13)
Additional coverage: Summary of news stories about Living Below the Line: Economic Insecurity and America's Families (Fall 2013, WOW)--Seeking a Poverty Measure for the Next 50 Years, The Wall Street Journal, Why is the Federal Poverty Line So Far Off? BillMoyers.com, Chart of the Day: 60 percent of single women can't afford basic needs, Feministing
You can't live on $7.25 an hour anywhere in America, MSN Money (07-19-13)
MA Creates Commission to Address its Elder Economic Security Gap—Largest in US—with Input from WOW (July 2013).
Coverage of WOW's Economic Security Scorecard includes: MSN Money, The Huffington Post, Think Progress, BillMoyers.com, 24/7 Wall St., UtahPolicy.com, Tulsa World, Sun Sentinel (FL), Des Moines Register, Dallas Morning News, Alabama Political Reporter, Albuquerque Business First.
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