1. The Female Face of Poverty and Economic Insecurity in Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh MSA Ariane Hegewisch and Claudia Williams Institute for Women’s Policy Research

2. The overwhelming majority of families in poverty are headed by single women

3. Single mother households face much greater risk of poverty

4. Record unemployment for single mothers

5. Gender wage gap undermines women’s ability to support their families

6. Gender wage gap undermines women’s ability to support their families … especially for women of color: African American Women earn only 68.8 percent of average white male earnings in PA (64.2% in Pittsburgh MSA) Hispanic Women earn only 54.5 percent of average white male earnings in PA (65.5 % in Pittsburgh MSA)

7. Support for poor families is uneven Food stamp enrolment (SNAP) in PA has increased by 31 percent between October 2007 and October 2009 (25% in Allegheny Co) TANF enrolment in PA during the same period increased by 8.4 percent (0 % in Allegheny Co)

8. Policy Recommendations Make sure Federal Stimulus Funds provide a route to family sustaining jobs for women, especially women who maintain families: - recruitment & retention benchmarks for ARRA work sites; - employer training on harassment and discrimination free workplaces for ARRA work sites; - promotion of work-family policies for ARRA work sites Ensure TANF is available to all who need it Increase funding for childcare subsidies and early childhood education Enforce equal pay and equal employment opportunities laws