Recession Takes a Toll on America's Women

Every American has been hit by the current economic recession in one way or another -- home foreclosures, lost jobs, and rising costs of food, gas, and health care. But now it's becoming clear that the recession is affecting one group particularly hard -- women.

Last week the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released a report [PDF] that found America's women are facing a perfect storm of economic risk. It found:

In contrast to previous recessions, in which women have typically fared somewhat better than men, this recession is hitting women harder than men. They are suffering more job losses and larger reductions in wages than the general population.

Like all workers, women are suffering from falling wages, rising prices, job fears, and housing troubles. But the effects of the recession on women have been more severe. The unemployment rate among women is rising faster than among men. Women's wages fell six times the rate of men's wages last year.

The housing crisis has also had a disproportionate effect on women. Despite their better overall credit scores, women are over 30 percent more likely to have expensive subprime loans, and are therefore much more likely to face foreclosure. Not surprisingly, many women are falling into bankruptcy at alarming rates. Single women, including those with children, account for 40 percent of all bankruptcies.

Making the problem worse, their current economic troubles are piling on top of the longstanding discrimination that women face in the workplace. Despite our equal pay laws, women earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men and have lower savings, fewer assets, and smaller pensions. Unmarried women in the United States have, on average, less than half the net worth of unmarried men.

Together, these problems have put many American women on the verge of financial ruin, and it will be very difficult for them to recover. That's why Congress must take decisive action to help working families -- and women in particular -- cope with the troubled economy and create new opportunities for the future.

To start, we must make it clear there must be zero tolerance in the United States for pay discrimination. When women earn less than men, it makes them more vulnerable to economic downturns. To ease this burden, the Senate will act this week on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, an important bill to help them hold their employers accountable for pay discrimination.

A Supreme Court decision last May reversed decades of established law guaranteeing equal pay for equal work. Workers who have been illegally paid less have just 180 days from the discriminatory pay-setting decision to file a claim for the back pay they deserve. Such a requirement is patently unfair, since workers often do not find out for many months or years that their pay is too low.

The Fair Pay Restoration Act corrects this unfair ruling and protects millions of American workers from pay discrimination. You can help us pass this needed legislation by signing my petition calling for equal pay for equal work.

In addition to combating discrimination, we must also strengthen our nation's economic safety net to deal with the modern reality of women's lives and careers.

The unemployment insurance system, for example, does not live up to its promise for many women. Because of outdated eligibility requirements, only one-third of unemployed women receive benefits, although almost all workers pay into the system. It's essential to make sure that all unemployed men and women receive the benefits they deserve. Dollar-for-dollar, it's one of the most potent forms of stimulus for our economy.

Congress must amend current law to reflect the fact that women shoulder by far the greatest responsibility for child and family care. In these difficult economic times, few women can afford to lose a day's wages -- or even their jobs -- to stay at home with a sick child. But many women face that impossible choice every day, since nearly half of private-sector workers don't have even one paid sick day. The Healthy Families Act -- which is currently pending in the Senate -- would change that by guaranteeing seven paid sick days a year for most American workers.

We as a nation can get through this recession. But to do so, we must make sure that the livelihoods of all Americans -- particularly women -- are protected by sound laws and policies. With the economy so bleak today, now is the time for strong economic leadership by Congress to give hope and opportunity to all our nation's working families.

Comments

[McLaren]

"World Ends, Women and Minorities Hit Hardest"

More gibberish from the worst demagogue who ever lived -- except for Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Gephardt, Chuck Schumer, and every other Democrat....

[Stevelagain]

A senator who supports the importation of massive numbers of illegal workers to take away the jobs of struggling American women does not impress me.

[jrockbg]

Yeah, the Kennedy legacy of cheating on their women or leaving them at the bottom of a body of water really makes me want to listen to his insights.

[Stevelagain]

I was just thinking the same thing. Leave a woman drowning at the bottom of a body of water and then come out as the great defender of women.

How about this,

Where is your Medicare fix......how about fixing it because it's going to be a disaster all the women it will hurt when it goes bust?

How about stopping all that massive democratic party government spending and balancing the budget.....lots of women would be better off if democratic party government spending was not out of control.

How about sealing the boarder so women in the US don't lose a job to illegal cheap workers?

How about national health care for women who have no health care?

You folks look for stuff to make you look good while avoiding dealing with the major issues of our day, the major problems that democrats refuse to fix. Congress ratings are in the mud because you are doing nothing of value.....you are watching our disasters coming down the tracks and refusing to COMPROMISE and FIX THEM.

We need to run them all out and start over, starting with every single senator in there.

[elderly]

Agreed. It is much better to leave a whole country at the bottom of a body of water like the beacon of morality now squatting in the white house.

I have been listening to this shit for 40 years.

First, it was Bobby Kennedy who was ruthless and a political opportunist. Well we got rid of him.

Then it was the shit about Ted Kennedy. I don't give a rat's ass who he slept with or drank with. The fact is that if we had elected either of the above Kennedy's to the presidency this would be a far, far diferent and better country for all of us to live in (except for the executives of the major oil companies and war profiteers).

Don't you people ever get tired of being used by reason of your stupidity to spread the gospel of the 1%'ers.

[ResidentChimp]

Kennedy is an expert at taking tolls on women.

[jethrock]

Love you Ted!!!

[meileen]

TAKE 2

Are these the same women who were recently disenfranchised at state caucuses because at 7:00pm, they were either home with the children, doing shift work or are too old to drive at night?

[meileen]

Are these the same women who were disenfranchised during recent caucuses because they were either home with the children at 7:00pm or doing their shift work?

[JonathanDS2U]

I have a simple mathematical concern which is guaranteed to sound very sexist. That's why instead of referring to the two groups in my little mathematical concern as men and women, I will use the terms Group A and Group B:

If there was a time when only members of Group A were permitted employment in certain breadwinning (higher-paying, family-supporting) positions, and gradually members of Group B were also permitted employment in these kinds of breadwinning positions, would this not double the competition for these positions from what members of Group A previously encountered, thus increasing both the number of households with no one employed in a breadwinning position, as well as increasing the number of households with both husband and wife in breadwinning positions? Not fair. There may be tax laws addressing this to some degree, but for those who truly see the problem, is this really enough? I consider this is an enormous problem that touches most directly on equal pay for equal work, however, I do not have the solution, and am not a sexist.

[ldelp84227]

Yes Senator Kennedy woman are being hurt. My mom has had to resort to live in her car because her ex stopped paying alimony. She had the expensive lawyer and continuence after continuence went on for several years. The judge issued a warrent for this man and he was never arrested. He failed to bring the proper paper work. Then he sold his place for $500.000 and took off. How can this be possible in this country. He use to work for the DEA so he knows how to hide. She is 73 and very ill. She use to live on the ocean and is left to fend for herself. Apparently there are no rules in place for women when this happens. In the mean time I suffer an illness where everyday products cause me suffering. You wrote a paper several years ago about how our products are more dangerous than cigarettes. Why hasn't anything been done to make our products safer as the EU Govenment has done. Now my husband was layed off and employment is about to run out. Why no extensions. What has happened to this country. Linda

[Abaddon]

Maybe they stopped people from always claiming to be a victim.

[RMS7777]

And why aren't you helping your mother? Why can't she move in with you?

Typical liberal response... point out an issue and demand that the government fix it, even when it's within your capacity to do so.

Charity begins at home.

[indypete]

Read the whole thing... she is sick. You know as well as I what the cost of health care is. Perhaps she can't afford exorbitant insurance rates. Perhaps the cost of her artificially overpriced meds (oh no, we can't import those dangerous foreign drugs from Canada and have actual free-market competition) have driven her to the bankrupcy that the current government (repubs and dems alike) have taken out of the reach of those who actually need it but kept available for those who can go bankrupt while living in mansions. Charity at home begins when you have a couple of dimes to rub together. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt... I'll even assume you hit "enter" before thinking about what you had written and now regret the mean-spirited nature of your words.

[mikonyc]

Mr. Kennedy is pandering to all of the women voters of his state who bucked his endorsement of Obama and voted for Senator Clinton......what a cynical post this is....he is soooooo transparent!

[Chavez08]

Hey Teddy! Thanks for laying low for the past 25 years while Reagan and the Corpo-fascist machine moved American jobs to Asia.

Maybe we could have got your ass out of Marthas' Vineyard to speak out for the working-class if we had the womens' lobby do our bidding for us.

[kae]

We as a nation can get through this recession. But to do so, we must make sure that the livelihoods of all Americans -- particularly women -- are protected by sound laws and policies. With the economy so bleak today, now is the time for strong economic leadership by Congress to give hope and opportunity to all our nation's working families.

I know you mean well but the reality of american politics in 2008 is that democrats hate republicans and republicans hate democrats and the american people are sitting on the sidelines watching you bicker and fight about EVERYTHING accomplishing NOTHING. I understand the need for political debate but my rights have been taken from me, our president ignores the constitution and puts us all in danger due to his tragic foreign and economic policies- why can we not impeach first and then you all can work together "across the aisle" to fix this country. It has become very clear to me as of late that we are headed for more of the same this Nov. As a member of the senate are you at all concerned about Diebold and ES&S? Or are you just hoping we will all ignore things like that and rally around issues like these...complicated issues that partisan politics will not help but destroy. But hey nice piece, maybe you care?

[liberalloons]

Women earn less then men becuase men on average work 500 more hours a year then women. Only 5% of home owners aren't making payments on time.

[Chavez08]

Did you do your polling in Kennebunkport?

[Stevelagain]

The truth, that most home owners are responsible and doing fine is just to hard to admit in an election year.

Oh my yes, we are all victims.....LAUGH.

[fisharefreinds]

Oy, Mr. Kennedy, the country is collapsing economically, the dollar is becoming toilet paper. This thing is a behemoth, but where have you been for 8 years? No where.

[ChiMan1]

All these years in the Senate and Teddy, still does not know what a Recession is.
Sounds good to the "Kool-Aid" gang but it just ain't so. We may be getting close to a negative GDP quarter, but it takes 2 negative quarters to be official, and Recessions come in varing degrees and this one will be very mild if it even happens, it's part of the economic cycle. Progressives believe the things should only go up, like their dreams of a Democrat President going UP in smoke.