More Than 70% of America's poor are women and children
While more than 80% of homeless women have been abused..
single mothers face the highest risk of becoming homeless
This sad fact creates a substantial risk that the children will become injured, be subjected to physical and sexual abuse and human trafficking, or will succumb to death caused by the harsh environment. Children of single mothers who are without housing are likely to be placed within the child protective care system into foster care, while only only 14% of those children are ever actually adopted.
328,00 children are placed into foster care each year
Only 46,395 of 328,000 kids in foster care are ever adopted. 49% of those 328,000 children in foster care report having used illicit drugs and alcohol. 42% of children in foster care, are twice as likely to die in foster care when compared to children with families. Where does that leave mom when all she was doing was struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table for the kids? Statistics reflect that 50% of America's homeless were in foster care as children, which becomes one vicious cycle of inherited generational poverty, homelessness, addiction, and needless suffering caused by sexual and physical abuse "in the system."
the future of America hinges on the outcome of America's developing families
Recognizing that there is a problem that should be addressed is the first step towards creating a plan to resolve the issues of poverty, homelessness, minimum wage earnings, equal employment and increased risks of physical and sexual abuse. Enough just isn't being done to protect single mothers from poverty and homelessness. The welfare of the people of our entire nation are reliant on the well being of mothers, and whose lives are dependant upon childhood development and environmental conditions. The welfare of America's women and children could not be more important to the future of the United States of America.
women make up 2 out of every 3 persons In The United States earning minimum wage
A gender group doomed from the get-go, women are primarily responsible for the care and nurturing of the unborn, for the newly born, and for the care of the child through the age of emancipation. Where does that leave the future of America? Childcare costs have skyrocketed, the average childcare bill is approximately $17,000 a year per child, add that cost to the average rent of $22,800, while the Federal minimum wage is currently set at $7.25 an hour ($13,920 annually) and what do you get before you even attempt to feed the kids, let alone yourself? Homeless.
if we are not protecting America's women and children, what in the fuck are we doing?
women and single mothers most often face employment opportunities that leave them reliant upon the welfare system
Federal law prohibits discriminatory hiring, pay and gender based violence. However in spite of the laws an astounding 60% of women hired to fill equal employment positions also experience sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and physical violence in the workplace. 70% of workplace physical violence incidents victims are women. Not surprisingly, women also only earn 81 cents to every dollar when compared to the salary of men in the same role.
equal opportunities to employment are not always what they seem
Mary is a Class A CDL truck driver and a single mother, employed in her career field for more than 5 years. In those 5 years Mary has worked 70 hours a week, 6 days a week rarely missing a day at work and never arrives late. The most Mary's annual salary has amounted to on her tax returns was last year, a mere $43,000, while her childcare bills for one young child have amounted to an annual cost of $26,000, that's more than half of her annual salary. Over the course of 5 years, Mary has worked for 15 different truck driving companies, has been repeatedly subjected to workplace violence, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, unfair and unpaid wages, double standards, and repeatedly asked to resign or fired after filing workplace discrimination and harassment complaints. Not one of Mary's cases have been accepted by the EEOC, or a law firm. In the world of truck driving, being hired by a new company means going through orientation all over again. Orientations typically last for up to an entire week, often this time is unpaid or paid at a rate of less than half of a truck drivers usual drivers pay, all of which has had a drastic effect on Mary's annual income. More than 5 years later, Mary is still living in weekly pay motel rooms. Even worse, in the world of truck driving having had more than 3 employers means most companies will no longer hire you, it doesn't matter WHY you left your last employer, which sets the stage for continued unfair and unpaid wages and further incidents of workplace violence and sexual abuse. 5 years after becoming licensed to drive a Class A vehicle, Mary has been employed with 24 different truck driving companies. Her last employment application received a reply of "we have passed on your application for more qualified applicants."
The Problem is really not about creating legislation to protect our equal rights, the problem is enforcing the laws we do have that are supposed to protect our equal rights!
14th Amendment, as ratified in 1868
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
80% of single parent families are single mothers, and women are still suffering
Women are continuing to suffer! Approximately 4 out of 10 children are born to single mothers. The poverty rate for single mothers is 31%, and 36.8% of single mother households suffer from food shortage, while most single mother households also have no health insurance. These same families spend more than half of their wages on housing, and at least a third of their pay on childcare costs. The average median income earned by single mothers in the United States is between $32,586 and $41,305. Childcare costs nationwide for 1 child currently average $300-$500 a week (if you're earning $41,305 annually that is more than half of your weekly take home pay.)
While the stats provided are the average, the averages don't tell everyone's story, Jackie's included. When Jackie filed for a divorce, her husband fled the state and all responsibility for their newborn. Meanwhile the court also refused to enter an order for spousal support, and over the course of the next 15 years refused to enforce the order for child support. During the first 5 years of life as a single mother, Jackie's annual wages were reported at (year 1) $4,750, (year 2) $5,337, (year 3) $7,865, (year 4) $11,432, and (year 5) $17,455.
The explanations Jackie gave for her low wages include; she had left college without graduating for marriage and childbirth, she was injured giving birth and when the marriage took a turn for the worse she was left alone to care for the newborn while still injured, the positions of employment she was offered were not stable jobs such as telephone sales, office jobs, cleaning positions, and because the child was young and whose care was provided in a state licensed childcare center while mom worked, the child was frequently ill and mom had no family to assist.
Sadly, because this young family's income level was so low food was also a problem so mom more frequently than not went without regular meals or vitamins, which had a negative impact on her performance and intellectual function at whatever job she was able to find for the time being.