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California Seeks New Approaches to Alleviate Poverty for Women and Children

 

As California continues to recover from the Great Recession, not all of the population has experienced the renewed economic growth. Recent census data shows that one in five children in California live below the poverty line. According to USC Sociology Professor Manuel Pastor one in four women in the U.S. and a third of single mothers currently live in poverty. About 40 % of children in female-headed households live on incomes below the federal poverty line.

 

To address these issues, the California State Senate has convened a Select Committee on Women and Inequality. The Select Committee is chaired by Senator Holly Mitchell from Los Angeles. They will are looking at issues including rebuilding our Safety Net for families, investing in child care, examining the intersection of race, ethnicity and poverty to address disparities and encouraging more women to become leaders. At their first meetings, in the summer and fall of 2014, they heard testimony from women who are struggling in California’s economy, researchers and advocates to identify issues and solutions that work. The Select Committee is expected to continue its work into the next legislative session. You can follow their activities on their website http://womenandinequality.senate.ca.gov/

Many researchers have also been investigating multi-generational strategies to address poverty. Both the Center on Law and Social Policy and The Aspen Institute have released reports this fall looking at strategies to support both the adults and children in families as they reach for better family outcomes and economic prosperity including income supports, education opportunities, mental health services and child care.

To learn more about these issues, you click on the links below or follow us on Twitter @ccrc4kids where we will share regular updates on policy issues which impact young children and their families.

Links for more information:

http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2014/140916_Census_Poverty.pdf

http://www.cbp.org/pdfs/2014/140917_Infographic_Poverty_Earnings.pdf

http://www.clasp.org/resources-and-publications/publication-1/Two-Gen-Brief-FINAL.pdf

http://b.3cdn.net/ascend/1b324c19707d1e43c6_p4m6i2zji.pdf

http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/map-detail.aspx?state=California

 

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