— Recent figures reveal that the economic downturn has sent more women into the workforce.  Since the start of the recession, hundreds of thousands of women have gotten jobs, increased their hours, or become the sole breadwinners in their families.  Click here for more details.

— Restaurants may be thriving during the recession, but restaurant workers continue to earn low wages and lack benefits.  That’s according to a new study from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC) (ROC-DC is a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner).  The study found that 90 percent of restaurant workers aren’t offered health insurance or sick days and 67 percent go to work when they’re sick.  Click here for more details.

— This week’s snowstorms have had varying impacts on businesses and individuals.  NBC4 interviewed several people, including a woman whose income was seriously impacted because she is paid by the hour.  Click here to watch the story.

— A single mother and soldier who missed her deployment to Afghanistan because she had no one to care for her child will not be court martialed.  Specialist Alexis Hutchinson has instead received an other-than-honorable discharge and will lose some of her Army and veterans’ benefits.  According to the New York Times, more than 10,000 single parents were deployed overseas last year.  Click here to read more.

— For families already scraping to get by, the record-setting snowfall in our area has brought with it new challenges for those who need help and the organizations that work to assist them.  Click here to listen to a commentary on the topic by Terri Lee Freeman, president of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.

— We all know the recession has been harder on some than others, and now a column in the New York Times is taking a look at the catastrophic impact unemployment and the economy are having on those who are most vulnerable.  Click here to read more.

— Virginia students who plan to attend college can get free help with completing the federal financial aid form. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the Virginia Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators will help new and returning college students at 32 sites around the state on Saturday.

— In spite of all the snow, Doorways for Women and Families — a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — has been able to continue to help women and their families who need shelter.  In fact, they helped a woman and her child move in as last weekend’s snowstorm rolled in.  Click here to read more.

— Warming centers and emergency shelters have been set up in D.C., Maryland and Virginia for people who have been affected by the storm.  Click here for a list of locations.

— Slate Magazine has released a list of the largest charitable contributions of 2009.  Click here for the full list.  Question of the day: do you think people need to “give big” to be considered philanthropists?  Leave a comment below, or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

— Plans for a new development in western Montgomery County are widening a rift between the east and west sides of the county.  Residents and lawmakers in the county’s eastern sector say they’re already losing out on jobs and other valuable economic opportunities, and a proposed “science city,” which will bring 23,000 high-paying jobs to the west, will only make things worse.  Click here to read more.

— A new study has found that “watching people pay it forward can have a real effect on you.”  The study found that people who viewed an uplifting segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show were more likely to do good than people who watched an emotionally neutral television segment.  Click here to read more. 

And if you’d like to inspire someone to “pay it forward,” submit a video clip to our Be That Woman project.  All you have to do is create a short video of yourself talking about a woman who has had an impact on your life.  For more details, please contact mcraven@wawf.org.

— As the region continues to dig out after this past weekend’s snowstorm, local officials are starting to open up shelters for residents whose homes still don’t have heat.  For a full list of shelters that have opened as of Monday morning, please click here.

— Early college programs — once dominated by affluent or overachieving students — are serving more low-income students, who are finding success by getting college credits before high school graduation.  Click here for more.

— If you watched the Super Bowl last night, you may have noticed a trend in a handful of the commercials.  Some have called a number of the spots “misogynistic.”  Click here for a rundown of the opinions.  Did you like any of the ads?  Did you think they portrayed women unfavorably?  Or were they all in good fun?  Leave a comment below!

— In Ward 8, where the unemployment rate is at about 25 percent, residents are hopeful for more job prospects as a new Opportunities Center opens in their community.  At the center, residents will be able to learn more about job and business opportunities.  The center is opening ahead of the start of construction on the new Department of Homeland Security headquarters on Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. in Southeast. Click here for more details.

— Nationwide, the unemployment rate dropped to 9.7 percent last month, down from 10 percent in December.  Despite the improvement, however, comes news that recession job losses overall were worse than previously stated.  Click here for more.

— According to the Washington Post, “two Republican congressmen who help oversee billions of dollars for people with AIDS are asking the federal government for an accounting of fraud and mismanagement complaints leveled against AIDS programs nationwide.”  The representatives from Texas and Oregon cited recent reports that some AIDS nonprofits receiving federal funding had “delivered substandard services or failed to account for any work at all.”  Click here to read the full story.

Got a comment?  Sound off below, or join the conversation online at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

— Fairfax County is relying on a nonprofit to help fight the spread of gangs in the area.  Northern Virginia Family Service — a Women’s Foundation Grantee Partner — works one-on-one with at-risk teens.  The county says the program is working — they haven’t had a gang-related death in three years.  Click here for more details.

— A D.C. woman’s new business is giving hope to a community hit hard by the economy and crime.  According to the Washington Post, while other businesses in the neighborhood struggle, Big Chair Coffee & Grill offers Anacostia residents new options for hot drinks, food and a place to congregate.  Big Chair was opened last month by Ayehubizu Yimenu, a registered nurse and mother of five.  She says it’s the first coffee shop in Anacostia.  Click here to read more.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below or join the conversation at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation.

— The founder of one of our Grantee Partners has been named a “History Maker in the Making!”  Dr. Satira Streeter of Ascensions Psychological and Community Services, Inc. was selected by MSNBC and TheGrio as one of 100 black history makers.  Click here to read about Dr. Streeter’s accomplishments, and to take a look at the 99 others who are making history.

— The D.C. Council is calling the District’s 12.1 percent unemployment rate a “crisis” and introduced legislation this week to deal with it.  According to the Washington Post, “under the council’s measure, small businesses or corporations that agree over the next five years to hire 10 employees at salaries of at least $55,000 would receive a credit on their business franchise tax.”  The credit would be about $2,100 per employee.  The Council’s goal is to see about 6,600 jobs added citywide.  Click here for more details.

— The D.C. area lost about 15,700 jobs last year.  While the impact was deeply felt in our region, other cities are dealing with much higher numbers.  Chicago tops the list with more than 182,000 jobs lost.  Click here for other cities with six-figure declines.

— In a letter to the editor in today’s Washington Post, the D.C. Employment Justice Center — one of our Grantee Partners — clears up confusion over the D.C. Paid Sick and Safe Leave Act.  Courtney Chappell assures readers that “most people who work in the District and have been on the job for a year are entitled to receive paid leave from their employer when they are sick or need to deal with a domestic violence issue.  All D.C. employers are under obligation to follow the law.”  Click here to read the whole letter.

— Feeding America released a new study today that shows a 46 percent increase (over three years) in the number of people who receive emergency food each year.  According to Feeding America, their study found that unemployment and rising health care costs were most often to blame.  In Maryland, the study found that 30 percent of food bank client households had residents under the age of 18.  In Virginia, the number of families with children receiving emergency food is higher — 42 percent.  Click here to take a look at the study.

Got something to say?  Leave a comment below, or join the conversation online at www.Facebook.com/TheWomensFoundation

— Ex-convicts are hopeful as they apply for temporary census jobs after the Census Bureau says less-severe transgressions may not cause someone to be automatically dropped from the hiring process.  According to this Washington Post article, of the 16,000 ex-cons living in the District, half can’t find work.

— Next week, Maryland lawmakers will push for better legislation to protect victims of domestic violence.  At the same time, a ceremony will be held in honor of the 53 people who died as a direct result of domestic violence in Maryland last year.  Click here for more information.

— Starting March 1st, Metro riders will pay 10 cents more to ride subways, buses, and MetroAccess.  Yesterday, the Metro Board voted to raise the fare instead of cutting service.  Click here for more details.

— A recent report found that many young women aren’t aware of the importance of having a regular cervical cancer screening.  Click here for more information.