Benedictine
Sisters, Monastery of St. Gertrude, Cottonwood, Idaho
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Social Justice Committee2002-2003 FocusWomen and PovertyLos Angeles Women in Poverty The past ten years the number of women living in poverty has increased disproportionately to the number of men living in poverty. In the family, it is often the woman who is left to bear excessive burdens. She attempts to manage household needs, while faced with monetary conditions of increasing shortage. In California one in three single women and their children are living in poverty . Some 10,000,000 people populate Los Angeles County. "There is no other large, primarily urban area that's higher in poverty than Los Angeles County." The state of California ranks nearly last in the greatest disparity between the rich an the poor. It ranks 48th of the states in the US. Recently, I was asked to meet with a Latina mother and her two daughters who attend one of our schools. The purpose of the meeting was to assess why they were consistently late in arriving to school. Their mother explained that they were sleeping on the floor of a garage lent to them by a friends when they became homeless. The girls explained that the garage had no windows and it was difficult to tell when morning came so they could not wake up in time. They had also been arriving without the required school uniform (white collared shirt and black pants). They explained that they had no water to wash the clothes and no money to take them to a launder mat Their mother also explained that they had become homeless when her husband, their stepfather, raped one of the girls and was sent to prison. They lost their apartment because mom often had to miss work to go to court and was fired. Little by little we have been able to provide them with resources that can help stabilize their situation. They are now renting a room with a family. They still have a long way to go before they area self sufficient. Nearly two in five Latinas and their children don't have enough to eat . Many women work in the most under paid industries such as farm worker, garment workers and domestics. Because of the high rental rates, 70 % of the their income is spent on housing. Immigrants, especially women and children are the poorest of the poor. 59% of the women in Los Angeles are working jobs paying $4.75 or less an hour. This amounts to some $9,120 a year. ($12.46 an hour is considered to be the level needed for an adult with two children to be self sufficient in Los Angels). Some 70% of the families we service through the program in which I work are Lantinos and some 20% African American. The remaining 5% are of Pacific Islander descent or Caucasian. The majority come from single-family households and are among those living below the level needed for them to feed and house the family. In one of our South Central schools a staff member, Lisa, noticed that one of the girls whom I will call Lakisha, was taking home any extra food that was left from the school lunches. Lisa decided to follow her home. She discovered that Lakisha and her younger siblings were living in a car and that she was taking the food to her brothers and sisters. She was their surrogate mother since her mother was "working the streets" to support her drug habit. Some mothers are not able to deal with the social and economic burden that they are dealt and find ways of escaping from it. Throughout my years as a Benedictine, whether in Idaho with the Latino community or in California with the Latino and African American community, the same reality seems to run true of both communities.. It is the woman who bears the disproportionate burden in the family. It is the woman who keeps the family alive both spiritually and physically. Women and Violence in Today's Society Violence is epidemic in today's society. In the popular entertainment industry, violence sells. Sex sells. Society's taste for the macabre and sensational grows each year. The most successful movies, so-called entertainment, often feature graphic violence and sexual behavior. The latest murder or disappearance becomes a media event. And in the process, individuals become de-sensitized to the continual onslaught of violent language and images. "In these times, violence has become so common that many people are becoming almost immune to news of it But as violence become more and more accepted and expected, a new "violence" enters the stage: the acceptance of violence or a passivity in the face of violence." (Faces of Violence, Bishop Sylvester W. Treinen, 1993.) For much of history and throughout the world, social and legal traditions have tolerated or even promoted the physical assault of women by men. Since the 19th century, women have acquired greater legal and political rights. As the status of women has improved, attitudes toward domestic violence have shifted and laws have changed. The laws of all 50 U.S. states have determined that domestic violence is a crime. In 1994 Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act, which authorized millions in federal funds for state and local programs to combat domestic violence. Law enforcement official in the Boise, Idaho/Ada County, Idaho area responded to 4,221 domestic violence calls in the year 2000. Idaho State Police report an almost 11% increase in violent crimes against women in 1999, while violent crime overall decreased 10%. In 2000, more than 4,700 calls were made to the Women and Children's Alliance rape and domestic violence crisis hotlines in Boise. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence more than 50% of all women will experience violence of some kind from intimate partners. (WCA response/statistics, 2000.) Although 30 years ago domestic abuse generally occurred behind closed doors, and was largely considered a private matter, today it is widely recognized as a dangerous and harmful social problem. This is well and good and recognized as an improvement. But what is the message when we tolerate offensive and/or violent language and behavior toward women (or anyone) through the popular media in our own homes. Our challenge as responsible Christians in today's society is to be awake. Alert ourselves to the dangerous situations in which many of our neighbors live. Refuse to accept the violence fed into our homes through popular media. Respond to those in need of assistance in whatever way we can, and pray daily for an end to violence. Actively practice non-violence in our personal language and behavior. "With the grace of God, may the world get fed up with violence of every kind, and seek the peace that He wants his people to enjoy! Each one of us has a part to play in achieving such a victory." (Faces of Violence, Bishop Sylvester W. Treinen, 1993.) Workers Rights - A Woman's Perspective an
Overview "Work is more than a way to make a living. It is an expression of our dignity and a form of ongoing participation in God's creation... Because work is so important, people have a right to decent and productive work and fair wages..." A pastoral letter of Social Justice by Most Reverend John R. Roach, Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Women are caught in a downward spiral in the economic climate of today. No longer able to be the proverbial "happy homemaker" of yesteryear, many women are forced to work outside of the home to help support their families and feel they do not have the option of being "stay at home" moms. Entering the workforce can be, among other things, an experience in frustration when she realizes jobs are not readily available, the types of jobs she is qualified to do are limited, and her salary often less than that of men. Added to this is the stress of finding good childcare for the children and the attendant guilt of being unable to do all the things expected of a "good mom" while, at the same time, providing financially for the children and upkeep of a home. The problems the woman faces are compounded if she is uneducated, divorced, a woman of color, disabled and or elderly. The traditional employment for women as teacher, nurse, waitress, or clerk, if available, are low-paying jobs. High-tech and professional/managerial/entrepreneurial opportunities are opening up for today's woman, but these positions usually require higher education-a luxury many have not had. Even when their education and experience matches that of the male, the woman often finds herself being discriminated against when her salary is not equal to that of her male counterpart in the same position. Many women are discovering that the hardships encountered in working outside the home can far outweigh the financial benefits. Chief among them is the cost of child care which takes most of the salary earned. Rent and utility costs rise almost daily and car payments, car insurance and gas eat up any other profit. The instances of child abuse, neglect and juvenile crime are escalating as parents find it hard to provide quality time with children. If married, the woman may find that prenatal/maternity medical insurance is not provided. Many women may experience sexual exploitation or harassment in the workplace. Because of the financial dilemma, or because she lacks security in her job, a woman may feel trapped in an abusive and life-threatening relationship for the sake of the children. If the woman is divorced and /or the sole support she finds that the court mandated child support payments, if received, are never enough to cover the children's childcare costs and other needs. Health insurance is often sacrificed when neither party can afford health insurance which will cover the child/ren. Additionally, women may find that her minimum wage job does not offer health insurance even for herself and seldom are there retirement benefits. Although efforts have been made to minimize the problems encountered by women who join the work force, much remains to be done. Laws to counter discrimination in employment due to gender, race and age have been passed which protect working women. Minimum wage laws are in place as well as laws against physical/sexual abuse and stalking of women. Unfortunately, for many women these remedies seem difficult to access and when accessed, women can experience a lack of interest or reluctance to act on the part of the enforcing agencies. Too often women who seek to better their working conditions are criticized, left with little dignity and little hope, and may even be fired. Women are a vital and necessary part of the workforce. More efforts need to be made to improve their working situation. This situation will not improve, however, until we all make a concerted effort to be informed about abuses and use every means at our disposal, including, but not limited to - voting on legislation which promotes working women's rights, minimizing retaliation for exposing exploitation in the workplace, letters to the editor where injustices are occurring, and joining organizations which target the issues of restoring the dignity and hope of the working women, not only for the sake of the woman, but also for the sake of the children who are the beneficiaries of their hard work. |
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