As of now i have one major idea for my bill. My issue is poverty so at first i wanted to address the issue as a whole, but now i want to focus in on women in poverty. 
As seen on the chart above, single females are the highest impoverished percentage group. The word that jumps out to be is “householder” because it exhibits that these females are responsible for keeping the home as well as the children and making enough money to survive. The biggest problem with female poverty, in my opinion, is females who have married and not bothered being educated or gaining a degree and who are then left hopeless and without work when the male “breadwinner” leaves or dies. In my opinion, a bill that would help establish more prominent programs for female economic/work education could greatly improve single female stature in the country as well as lower the poverty rate of single mothers. If single women were prepared to work as individuals while keeping the house and the children, this huge poverty rate, 28.7% females versus the much smaller 13% of males, would and could be lowered. I haven’t developed the specifics on my bill yet, like exactly how i would provide additional education and more focused attention on female poverty but i think that, because the female poverty rate is so blatantly higher, something needs to be done. Also, looking through the bills and Supreme Court cases, not much has been done in the areas of female poverty in this country. While child poverty and family poverty havebeen addressed, women, the highest percentage group, seem to have been left out.
I definitely want to focus on education for women in the economy so that they can contribute even when they are single and feel hopeless. Improving this 28% of society that are unable to effectively participate in the economy will help the economy as a whole.
I think this is a great idea for a bill, especially since not much has been done and is a bill I would definitley support! In terms of establishing programs to prepare and educate women for holding jobs to support their families I think you definitley need to urge the federal government to provide funding and aid (especially in the states where female poverty is the highest). I dont really have any other suggestions… but this sounds like a great bill! Also maybe focus on creating some type of program or policy that would help to educate women so that they can be prepared to earn a living.
This is an interesting approach to helping poverty. Not only are you focusing the help on one individual group, allowing your full attention to fully help one group rather than sort of helping all of the groups, but your idea to try to prevent poverty by preparing women to be sucessful in the world will make a big difference in the long run.
It’s interesting that you are taking this focus because one of the themes that we have focused on this year in Global Issues is female education. If you want to deal with global poverty, you focus on educating girls–that makes the biggest difference in terms of lowering birth rates and helping families move out of the poverty trap. Are there model programs out there that deal with this? I’ll try to see if I can find some.
Very good thinking!!
Take a look: http://www.womensfundingnetwork.org/impact/poverty
Here’s another good source: http://www.nwlc.org/display.cfm?section=Child%20and%20Family%20Support
I like this idea, Grace! Oddly enough, I’ve never really thought about a shift in focus from the general public to women when it comes to poverty. This is a unique idea–I agree with Ms. Thompson. I think education should be your primary concern. I was going to focus on women education for my bill on abortion but chose to go a different way. I’m a definite supporter of your bill–so check out mine!
I think you make a good point in your proposal. But what kind of programs do you have in mind? would they be free? what would your programs teach the single mothers to prepare them for the work force?
Since many of women who are in poverty are single moms trying to make money, buy food, and take care of their kids all at the same time–How would these women find time to go to school as well? –maybe an online program would be a good way for them with their busy schedule.
- helen