Economic Security

Today everyone is worrying about economic security. The current financial crisis highlights the need for women of all ages to access programs that help them gain knowledge about managing their own finances and effectively planning for education, raising families, and the retirement years.

In California, thirty-four percent of households headed by a single adult, usually a woman, live below the federal poverty line. However, given the economic crisis, this number is rapidly increasing. Many other women are part of the working poor. To move from poverty, all of these women need education, job training and help in overcoming barriers to successful employment, including substance abuse, mental health problems and domestic violence. In addition, the federal poverty line itself is outdated and a new measure is needed to reflect actual costs of living so that those who need and deserve assistance receive it.

The CalWORKS program (TANF), which serves many low-income families with children, continues to be a critical safety net. To be most effective in helping families become self-sufficient, the issues of program eligibility, childcare, and access to education and training programs need to be addressed. The Commission's goal is to improve the economic security outcomes for all California women.

To learn more about these issues, please see below.

CalWORKS

• Understanding CalWORKs: A Primer for Service Providers and Policymakers - California Center for Research on Women and Families, April 2010

Child Support

• Child Support Collection: Should California Standardize or Privatize? (PDF) - A report summarizing expert testimony discussing whether the current “county-driven” child support collection system is working, and to explore options to standardize or privatize California's overall system.

Economic Status

• Women and the Economy 2010: 25 Years of Progress But Challenges Remain (PDF) - Report by the US Congress Joint Economic Commitee, August 2010
• Women in Poverty During the Great Recession: Public Benefits Do Not Always Respond to Rising Need Variation Across States is Substantial (PDF) - Institute for Women's Policy Research, September 2010
• Protect You and Your Family From Fraud - Developed by the California Department of Corporations
• Asset Building and Financial Literacy Fact Sheet (PDF) - Women in Government Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, June 2009
• Earned Income Tax Credit Fact Sheet (PDF) - Women in Government Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, June 2009
• 8 Tips for Financial Success (PDF)
Half a Million Older Californians Living Alone Unable to Make Ends Meet - Published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, February 2009
• Why is her paycheck smaller? (www.nytimes.com) - New York Times, March 2009
• Ensuring Single Mothers Get the Support They Need: Fact Sheet - National Women's Law Center, August 2008
• 2007 Incomes Decline, Poverty Increased: New Date Mark a Reversal of Progress Made in 2006 (PDF) - California Budget Project, August 2008
• Failing to Make Ends Meet - A Report on the Economic Status of Women in California (PDF) - May 2002

Elder Economic Security

California has more people over age 65 than any state in the nation, and the number is increasing every day. The Elder Economic Security Index is an effective tool to determine the cost of living, county by county, for older people. See below for information about this issue.

• Seniors Against Investment Fraud, 2nd Edition - Developed by the California Department of Corporations
• State and National Campaign for Elder Economic Security Presentation (PDF)
• Additional slides - UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (PDF)
• Additional slides - Women's Foundation of California (PDF)
• California Elder Economic Security Standard Index by County (www.insightcced.org)

Financial Literacy

• Reduce Your Debt (PDF) - Developed by the California Commission on the Status of Women, California Department of Corporations and the California Department of Financial Institutions - October 2010
• Financial Tips for Women (PDF) - Developed by the California Commission on the Status of Women, California Department of Corporations and the California Department of Financial Institutions - October 2009
• 8 Tips for Financial Success (PDF) - Developed by the California Council on Education, California Department of Corporations and the California Department of Financial Institutions

Housing

• State of California - Consumer Home Mortgage Information
• Home Mortgages and Foreclosure Fact Sheet (PDF) - Women in Government Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, June 2009

Pay Day Lending

• What You Need to Know About Pay Day Loans" - Developed by the California Department of Corporations
• Predatory and Payday Lending Fact Sheet (PDF) - Women in Government Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, June 2009
• A Word of Caution on Payday Loans (www.americanprogress.org) - Center for American Progress, April 2009

Pay Equity

• Pay Disparity Fact Sheet (PDF) - Women in Government Family Economic Success Policy Resource Center, June 2009
• New Data Show That California's Income Gaps Continue to Widen for Women (PDF) - Policy Points by California Budget Project, June 2009
• State by State Earning Comparison - The Gender Pay Gap (www.aauw.org) - Research by the American Association of University Women
• Behind the Pay Gap (PDF) - By the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation - April 2007
• The Gender Wage Gap: 2007 (PDF) - A Fact Sheet by the Institute for Women's Policy Research
• Still a Man's Labor Market: The Long-Term Earnings Gap - A Report on the Wage Gap and Its Implications for Women, Families, and the Labor Market (PDF) A Research in Brief by the Institute for Women's Policy Research

Visit our economic security links/resources section for additional information.