ADA Education Fund
Congressional Briefing:
Women, Unemployment and the Great Recession

Dear Colleague:

The plight of the nation’s unemployed has changed in the Great Recession. The number of workers who are facing long term unemployment has steadily increased. The real unemployment rate – which includes those workers who are working part-time and temporary jobs as well as discouraged workers – remains above 15%.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently 14.6 million workers who are unemployed, and more than six unemployed workers for every available job. At the beginning of the recession, the majority of the jobs lost were in the manufacturing and construction industries, which disproportionately impacted men. In the ensuing months of stagnant economic growth, job loss has accelerated in female-dominated occupations in both the public and private sectors.

Two recent reports examine the effects of the recession on women and their families:

• “Advancing the Economic Security of Unmarried Women: Overview of Laws and
Legislation in the 111th Congress,” by Women’s Voices. Women Vote (WVWV) and
the Center for American Progress (CAP)
• “The Female Face of Poverty and Economic Insecurity: The Impact of the Recession on
Women in Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh MSA,” by the Women and Girls Foundation of
Southwestern Pennsylvania (WGF) and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in
Pennsylvania.

Both reports analyze the effects of the ongoing recession on women and the families that they support and make policy recommendations for governmental actions designed to improve the economic status of women and their families in this recession.

On Friday, July 16, 2010, the Americans for Democratic Action Education Fund will host a briefing at which representatives from the Women and Girls Foundation and Women’s Voices. Women Vote will present their findings and policy suggestions.

The Honorable Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Chair of the Workforce Protections
Subcommittee will moderate the discussion.

The briefing is scheduled:
Friday, July 16, 2010
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon
2261 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

I hope that you will be able to join us for this important discussion on women and economic security. Please RSVP at (202)785-5980 or via email at megan@adaction.org or shermin@adaction.org.
1625 K Street, NW •Suite 102 • Washington, DC 20006 • 202-785-5980

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