Womenstake

Unemployment Rises, Especially Among Single Moms, but Some Help Is on the Way

by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security,
and Valerie Norton, Public Policy Fellow,
National Women's Law Center

Unemployment rose to 10.2 percent in October, reaching a 26-year high, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the unemployment rate among men is higher than among women, 10.7 percent compared to 8.1 percent, both rates rose last month and are at their highest levels in decades.

Especially worrisome is the unemployment rate for women who head families. At 12.9 percent, it’s higher than the rate for men or women -- and it jumped by 11 percent in one month to reach its highest level in 26 years. Even before the sharp rise in unemployment this year, more than one in three (37.2 percent) female-headed families with children were poor in 2008. Women of color also continue to experience high rates of unemployment: 12.4 percent for Black women and 10.4 percent for Hispanic women.

In the face of these statistics, we’re relieved that a bill extending unemployment insurance benefits made it through Congress and was signed by President Obama today after being stalled for weeks in the Senate . The measure provides additional weeks of assistance to those who have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits: up to 14 weeks in every state, and up to six more weeks in states with unemployment above 8.5 percent.

The extended benefits are particularly important because, according to the National Employment Law Project, more than 600,000 out-of-work people have exhausted their benefits in the past two months. Moreover, long term unemployment (six months or more) is at its highest level since records have been kept, and over one-third of jobless women (37.6%) and men (38.3%) have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more.

To be eligible for extended benefits, a jobless worker first must qualify for unemployment insurance. Many women and low-wage workers face barriers to unemployment insurance coverage – but fortunately, some of these barriers are coming down, as about half the states have taken advantage of incentives in the Recovery Act to modernize their unemployment insurance systems. States have until August 2011 to enact the reforms that will qualify them for federal funds, but the sooner they act, the sooner workers will get the unemployment insurance benefits they need and deserve.

High unemployment – especially long-term unemployment – has lasting consequences for women and their families. The additional unemployment insurance benefits approved today will provide indispensable assistance, and the Recovery Act is helping to preserve and create jobs and deliver help to struggling families and communities. But in the face of this unemployment crisis and predictions that unemployment and poverty will remain high for many months, more is needed to create jobs and promote a shared recovery.

Unemployment Insurance Extended

by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security,
National Women's Law Center

We have great news! This week, the Senate voted 98-0 in support of helping struggling families by passing a desperately needed extension of unemployment benefits. Yesterday, the bill passed the House 403-12 — and President Obama is expected to sign the bill today.

The bill provides a 14-week extension of unemployment insurance benefits in all states, and an additional 6 weeks of benefits in states with over 8.5 percent unemployment. It also provides incentives to states to allow victims of sexual assault, as well as victims of domestic violence, to qualify for unemployment benefits if they have to leave a job. Other provisions were added to the bill, including an extension and expansion of the tax credit for home buyers and business tax credits.

With long-term unemployment at record levels, these extended benefits are essential to help families keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table. Over 1.3 million workers whose benefits would otherwise run out by the end of the year will benefit from this extension. More needs to be done to help jobless workers, but this bill is a step in the right direction.

87 -13, Senate Votes to Consider Unemployment Insurance Extension

by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security, 
National Women's Law Center 

It’s not over yet -– tonight’s Senate victory was on a procedural vote. But the overwhelming 87-13 vote to break a filibuster and allow the Senate to consider the unemployment insurance extension bill we described earlier is very encouraging.  

Objections by a couple of Senators delayed the unemployment insurance extension bill for weeks. But tonight, all Senators had to stand up and be counted on whether they would continue to block consideration of a bill that would provide help to jobless workers whose unemployment insurance benefits are running out. In the end, only 13 Senators voted to block consideration of this crucial measure.  

The Senate still has to vote on the final bill, so unemployed workers will have to wait a little longer. But, tonight, it looks like help will be on the way.

Take Action: Stand Up for Struggling Families

by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security, 
National Women's Law Center 

Imagine...

First you lose your job. Then you find out you're about to lose the one lifeline that's keeping your family afloat — your unemployment insurance.

Sadly, that's the reality for hundreds of thousands of American families. Every day that Congress fails to extend unemployment insurance benefits, benefits run out for thousands of workers. This month alone, 200,000 jobless workers will exhaust their unemployment benefits; by the end of December, the number is expected to reach 1.3 million.   

That's why we need your help.

Support the extension of unemployment benefits by contacting your Senators today!

The Senate is considering a bill that would provide 14 weeks of extended benefits in every state, and an additional 6 weeks of benefits in states with high rates of unemployment above 8.5 percent. The bill also would encourage states to let victims of sexual assault, as well as victims of domestic violence, qualify for unemployment benefits if they had to leave a job. But some Senators have stalled action on the bill for weeks.

Please urge your Senators to support an immediate extension of unemployment benefits.

Thousands Are Losing Unemployment Benefits Every Day the Senate Delays

by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security, 
and Valerie Norton, Public Policy Fellow, 
National Women's Law Center 

The stock market may be up, but the labor market is still in deep trouble – and hundreds of thousands of women and men whose unemployment benefits are running out and still cannot find jobs are feeling desperate. 

Unemployment rates among men (10.3%) and women (7.8%) are higher than they have been in decades, as we reported here earlier this month. Unemployment among women who maintain families is even higher, at 11.6%.  And long-term unemployment – six months or more – is at its highest level since such records have been kept.  Over one-third of jobless women (37.2%) and men (37.8%) have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more.  

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in February, took important steps to extend unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for the long-term unemployed and increase weekly benefits. It also provided incentives for states to modernize their UI systems and expand coverage for low-wage workers and women -- and more than half the states have taken advantage of those incentives. But the additional weeks of benefits provided by the Recovery Act are already running out. The National Employment Law Project estimates that this month alone, 200,000 workers will exhaust their extended UI benefits, and 1.3 million will do so by the end of the year.

Last month, the House passed a bill to extend UI benefits for 13 weeks in states with unemployment rates of 8.5% or higher. A more expansive bill was introduced in the Senate. It would provide 14 weeks of extended benefits in all states, and an additional 6 weeks of benefits in states with high unemployment. The Senate bill also provides incentives to states to allow people who had to leave a job because they were the victims of sexual assault to qualify for unemployment benefits (the Recovery Act already provides incentives to states to provide UI coverage to victims of domestic violence). 

Although Senators from both parties have expressed support for extending UI benefits, attempts to bring up the bill quickly in the Senate have been blocked for a couple of weeks by objections from some Republican Senators. Last night, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) filed a cloture petition to end the filibuster. This will allow the bill to come up for a vote – if 60 Senators agree to put the needs of struggling families first.

Would-Be Women Astronauts Denied the Right to Serve

by Melanie Ross Levin, Outreach Manager,
National Women’s Law Center 

In the 1950s, as the space race was heating up, NASA trained a number of women to serve as astronauts. Sadly, that training was as far as they got.

Newly released medical tests published in the September Advances in Physiology Education prove that the female trainees performed better than their male counterparts in many categories — but they were denied the opportunity to serve as astronauts. NASA regulations kept the glass ceiling firmly in place, despite the evidence that women were very qualified to serve.

So what were the reasons for dismissing qualified women astronauts? It looks like women were held to a different — and unachievable — standard. According to Brandon Keim’s article in Weird Science,

“Some NASA officials speculated that female performance could be impaired by menstruation. Others wanted pilots who had already flown experimental military aircraft — something only men could have done, since women were barred from the Air Force.”

Does this type of reasoning sound familiar?

Recently, I posted about the intention of the Navy to move toward allowing women to serve aboard submarines.  Until the Navy recently announced this intention, the stated reason for prohibiting women from permanent assignment aboard submarines was crew privacy. It’s long past time for women to serve on submarines or any other military or civilian positions they are qualified for.

I wonder how many other studies will emerge about women candidates who were lost to discrimination. And the problem isn’t only that these candidates were denied an opportunity — it’s that our nation’s pool of talented potential astronauts was cut for absolutely no reason beyond gender discrimination.

It wasn’t until 1995 that a woman became a space pilot. Now it’s 2009, and we’re still waiting for an American woman to serve on a submarine. At least we’re one step closer to justice — and one step closer to opening all positions for women.  

NWLC Applauds Confirmation of Thomas Perez

by Amy Matsui, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

The National Women’s Law Center applauds the Senate for confirming Thomas Perez as the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today by a bipartisan vote of 72-22. The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) strongly supported Mr. Perez’s nomination.

“The National Women’s Law Center commends the Senate for confirming Tom Perez as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and is proud to have supported his nomination,” said NWLC Co-President Marcia Greenberger. “Mr. Perez, who brings twenty years of experience enforcing and supporting our nation’s civil rights laws, is eminently qualified for this position.”  

Mr. Perez has spent his entire career in public service. He worked as a career prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division, where he was quickly promoted to Deputy Chief of the Criminal Section.  He was appointed to be Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in 1998, and he served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services from February 1999 until the end of the Clinton Administration. At various points in his career, Mr. Perez worked for the late Senator Edward Kennedy, advising the Senator on civil rights, criminal justice and constitutional issues, and taught law and public health. Mr. Perez currently serves as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

The Civil Rights Division enforces legal protections of critical importance to women, including Title VII, which prohibits sex discrimination in employment; Title IX, which protects women against sex-based discrimination in educational programs; and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which allows women to safely exercise their constitutional right to reproductive health. In addition, the Civil Rights Division is responsible for prosecuting hate crimes and human trafficking crimes.  

Mr. Perez’s nomination comes at a critical time. Much work needs to be done to address pay discrimination, educational opportunities, violence against health care providers, and a host of other urgent matters.

“It is time for a Civil Rights Division that is fully committed to enforcing the civil rights protections upon which the citizens of this nation rely,” Greenberger said.  “Mr. Perez is the right person to restore the department’s historic role as guardian of civil rights and to make the enforcement of women’s rights and legal protections a priority once again.”

New Resources on Women's Poverty and Health Insurance

by Joan Entmacher, Vice President for Family Economic Security, 
and Judy Waxman, Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights, 
National Women's Law Center 

More than one in eight women and nearly one in five children lived in poverty in the United States in 2008 — and their poverty rates were higher than men's in every state.

More than 17 million women between the ages of 18 and 64 were uninsured in the United States in 2008, and in more than one-quarter of the states, the uninsured rate for women exceeded 20 percent.

Women who worked full time, year round earned less than their male counterparts in every state — 77 cents to every dollar earned by men.

In every state in the nation, women and families are experiencing hardship, including low wages, high poverty and high uninsurance rates. The new state-level data released by the Census yesterday detail the realities we're facing.

To help you dig through the data and better advocate on behalf of women and their families, NWLC has prepared three new resources:

• NWLC's complete analysis of national poverty data from the Census;   
• A state-by-state chart of poverty rates for women, children, and men; and  
• A state-by-state chart of women's insurance coverage rates. 

A state-by-state analysis of the wage gap is also available on the Census' site.  

The new resources show the pressing need for health reform that expands women’s access to health insurance, as well as the broader need for our country's policies to help alleviate poverty and promote economic security.  

Being All You Can Be: Good News for Women in the Military

By Melanie Ross Levin, Outreach Manager, 
and Holly Hemphill, Senior Counsel, 
National Women's Law Center 

Both the Army and the Navy made the news last week with positive developments not only for women in the military but also for all people who care about quality - and equality - in our armed forces.

We begin by reporting that Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead have announced their intention to “move out aggressively” to allow women to serve aboard submarines. That’s right, in 2009, women are currently prohibited from serving on submarines, even though they have been successfully serving on surface warfare vessels since the mid-1990s. Nancy Duff Campbell, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center, welcomed the news and commended the Navy officials for this important step. When the Navy’s intention becomes a reality, the potential pool of candidates for submarine service will greatly expand – which will not only help with recruitment, but increase the quality of our force. 

In a second move, showing progress of women in the Army, Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa L. King got a big promotion – one that will put her in charge of overseeing the drill sergeant training for the entire U.S. Army. CSM King will be the first woman in this key position – a position that influences the basic training of every enlisted soldier. CSM King said that one of her priorities would be to recruit more women into her drill sergeant school, and said, “Women should be allowed into frontline combat units ... if they meet the same standards as men.” Sounds obvious right? It’s not... Currently women are excluded not only from submarine duty but also from serving in infantry, armor and artillery units.

Here at the National Women’s Law Center we think that women should be full partners with men serving in defense of our country. We have posted position papers on allowing military women to serve in all units and occupations for which they qualify, providing military women full access to reproductive health care, eliminating sexual assault, and the need for a revitalized Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. We have also outlined other recommendations to end discrimination against women in the military in our Platform for Progress.

By moving forward on these issues, the Department of Defense will acknowledge what many of us already know – that women in the military have proven their value and valor and deserve full equality and opportunity in serving our country.

We look forward to more good news in the coming months, as more military assignments open up for women and as more leaders like CSM Teresa L. King are recognized. 

For more information check out www.nwlc.org/military.

Weekly Round-Up

by Robin Reed, Online Outreach Manager, 
National Women's Law Center 

CNN explored the growing number of homeless female veterans living in the United States, along with the difficulties faced by many.

A new report by Plan International addressed challenges worldwide facing the education of girls -- and the potential impact of educational disadvantages on the futures of those girls and their nations (via Broadsheet).

A new survey by the Guttmacher Institute found that the economic downturn is affecting many women's childbearing plans and use of contraceptives.

Valerie Young posted at Your (Wo)man in Washington about Working Mother magazine's newly released list of its top 100 companies for family-friendly policies and the potential implications of large companies instituting such policies.

Title IX Blog's Kristine Newhall reviewed License to Thrive: Title IX at 35, a newly released documentary about the impact of Title IX and the women whose lives have been changed by it.

And finally, congratulations to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health on its 15th anniversary of working for women's health, dignity and justice!