Economic Security

In the midst of the current economic crisis—which is exacerbating previously existing disparities and inequalities in the United States—the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers an opportune moment to raise up public investment for all citizens and make inroads in gender equality.  Building on NCRW's commitment to initiatives that advance women’s economic well-being, this project aims to gain a better understanding of the impact of the Recovery Act on women and their families.  Additionally, the project examines the inequities in the initiative’s allocation of resources and ways to address any resulting disparities.  Research has shown that educating and advancing women has an exponential impact on family well-being. 

NCRW's Economic Recovery project is assessing the extent to which the Recovery Act is adequately reaching low-income women and families, particularly families of color, and identifying key indicators that need to be examined to determine the Act’s potential and actual impact on women and girls.This collaborative project draws on the expertise of NCRW’s network, bringing together member centers located in critical regions and/or doing work around the key economic indicators identified as critical. Combining this local expertise with a national perspective drawn from our broader network of experts, the project is utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods to gather relevant data.
 
Accurate, disaggregated data will allow us to contribute to the crafting of future economic policies that work for everyone. 

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Project Related Reports & Publications

Recession, Stimulus and the Child Care Sector: Understanding Economic Dynamics, Calculating Impact

This brief has been developed to help state policymakers calculate the stimulus effects of increased child care spending on output and employment in the state economy. There are three important aspects of the child care sector which need to be counted when assessing economic impact: 1) direct employment and output in the child care sector itself, 2) multiplier effects of the sector in the broader regional economy, and 3) the social infrastructure role child care plays in supporting the parent workforce. All of these are short term economic effects.

Race, Gender, and the Recession: Job Creation and Employment

Women of color and their communities have been hit hardest by the recession. With fewer assets and savings paired with lower earnings compared to their White counterparts, racial and ethnic minorities will have a difficult time riding out the economic storm. In fact, many communities of color were doing poorly before the crisis gripped the nation and their situation has only worsened over the last 14 months.

Ensuring Equal Opportunity in Our Nation's Economic Recovery Efforts

This fact sheet provides informtation and ideas for ensuring that federal investments in America's economic recovery create gender and more equal opportunity for all. Specifically, it describes the ways in which existing laws require equal opportunity in jobs, housing, healthcare, transportation, and other sectors, and offers specific ideas for holding public and private officials accountable.

ARRA: Extending the Unemployment Insurance Safety Net to Victims of Domestic Violence

Recent changes to the unemployment insurance system as a result of the federal stimulus legislation have expanded an important safety net for victims of domestic and sexual violence who lose jobs as a result of the violence against them. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) included several provisions for modernizing state unemployment insurance systems, such as providing access to unemployment insurance benefits to various groups who were not previously covered by state laws, including victims of domestic violence.

Estimated Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Employment and Economic Output as of September 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) contains a variety of provisions intended to boost economic activity and employment in the United States. Section 1512(e) of the law requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to comment on the reports filed by certain recipients of funding under ARRA that detail how many jobs were created or retained through funded activities. This CBO report fulfills that requirement. It also provides CBO's estimates of ARRA's overall impact on employment and economic output in the first quarter of calendar year 2010.

The Female Face of Poverty and Economic Insecurity: The Impact of the Recession on Women in Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh MSA

Since the beginning of the recession at the end of 2007, unemployment has increased rapidly, in Pennsylvania as it has elsewhere. While many families suffer as a result of reduced earnings and unemployment, women who head households face significantly higher risks of unemployment than male head households, and are much more likely than men to live in poverty. Single mothers nationally have higher rates of unemployment than other women and men.

Policy action is required to ensure that women and their families are receiving adequate help during the current crisis, and that measures are put in place to help them reach and maintain economic self-sufficiency in the longer run.

ARRA and the Economic Crisis: One Year Later

Has ARRA worked to offset this growing economic divide in our nation, and offered relief to hard hit communities? Has ARRA worked to promote greater racial and socioeconomic equity in our nation? One year into the imlpementation of ARRA we find mixed results, and offer critical lessons learned from the ARRA experience.

The following report examines the disparate impact of the recession and housing crisis, specifically reviewing the impact of ARRA on relieving this unfolding crisis in hardest-hit communities. The report also pulls from the expertise and experience of equity advocates in the broader social justice field, offering reflections from the field by those working directly to produce more equitable outcomes in our response to the economic crisis.

Women in the Down Economy: Impacts of the Recession and the Stimulus in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts economy has been severely impacted by the recession, and many women in Massachusetts have faced considerable economic stresses in this downturn. This brief focuses on three strong interrelated economic impacts--employment effects, financial sector implications, and the impact on state and local government spending-- by considering how women and men in the Commonwealth have fared since the onset of the recession. 

The following analysis addresses each type of impact and then considers the economic security and resource implications of the combined effect of the impacts for women and their families in Massachusetts.  

Community Voices of the Economy Survey

Community Voices on the Economy -- a joint project of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Center for Community Change (CCC) -- aims to to help social change organizations understand how low-income communities are faring in the current economic crisis and how these communities view potential solutions. The project includes a particular focus on communities of color, and especially women in those communities. This particular study provides survey results from communities, particularly those of color, who are hurt by the economic downturn and continue to worry about their future.  

How the Other Half Fared: The Impact of the Great Recession on Women

The Great Recession was widely proclaimed to be a "mancession" because more than two out of three of the jobs lost during the downturn were jobs held by men. Yet the recession had a significant impact on women and their families as well. The Great Recession was the first in recent history in which women experienced substantial job loss. Women supporting families without the help of a spouse were hit particularly hard.

Blog Posts

Yes, Virginia, the Recession Really Has Hurt Women
Kyla Bender-Baird
Hands down, this post from California NOW recieves the award for best title of a blog addressing the gloomy issue of the economic recession.  The post discusses a briefing hosted by the...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 - 5:49pm
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Bridging the Racial Wealth Gap
cfiske@ncrw.org
By Courtney A. Fiske*The gap between the personal wealth of white and black Americans undergirds socioeconomic inequality in the United States. What’s more, it’s widening.This fact served...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 - 12:23pm
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Queers for Economic Justice Takes on Welfare and Local Jobs
jzeilinger@ncrw.org
By Julie Zeilinger*
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 3:41pm
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What does the financial crisis have to do with human rights?
Kyla Bender-Baird
This week Radhika Balakrishnan—the new Executive Director of the Center for Global Women’s Leadership—and James Heintz—co-author with Nancy Folbre of The Ultimate Field Guide...
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 - 2:22pm
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How are Women Faring in Massachusetts?
Kyla Bender-Baird
There has been a lot of talk about the gender dimensions of the Great Recession and subsequent recovery efforts--most notably the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But there has been little...
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 1:16pm
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