Job Training

Hiring staff from job training programs has proven a good investment for my local retail stores.

Posted on by Gina Schaefer

As a small local retailer, I have found myself always looking for alternative sources for qualified employees. Turnover in the retail field can be high, so finding committed, long-term employees especially is a constant concern for my managers.

We currently have more than 80 team members and as our needs grow, so do our expectations for our staff.

Traditional “Help Wanted” ads, such as those in the Washington Post or other newspapers, can be very pricey.  They also target a much broader audience in some sense. We, for example, look for District residents, so we like narrowing our field.

Several years ago, we stumbled upon a source that has helped us tremendously and led us to seek out other such organizations to augment our usual search methods.

Jubilee Jobs has a mission "to prepare men and women to re-enter the workforce and connect with marketplace jobs.”  Their clients may have been out of the workforce for a variety of reasons, including incarceration or drug or alcohol rehabilitation, or they may simply want help in their job search. 

Whatever the reason, Jubilee offers training, support and guidance for its job seekers.

Now that we have found Jubilee, my managers are comfortable sending them descriptions of the positions we are trying to fill and know the resumes they receive back are from candidates with an extra layer of training and support behind them.

Having a network of sources to call upon when you need to hire someone quickly is invaluable. I have also found that people reentering the workforce, regardless of the reason, are extremely willing to work, stay at a job longer, and truly respect the second chance they’ve been given.

I’d be lying if I said we never “lost” a few – a few have gone back into jail and several back to rehab, but these experiences have served to strengthen the teams that I do have – and have frankly made my managers even better at what they do.

I would encourage anyone considering looking for alternative sources for employees to strongly consider an organization like Jubilee Jobs. I am also happy to speak to you in more detail about it.

Gina Schaefer is the owner of "a few cool hardware stores," which are part of the Ace Hardware Cooperative.

Jubilee Jobs is a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.  Gina serves on their corporate advisory board.

For more information about other organizations throughout our region providing job training programs, visit our directory of Grantee Partners.

Through the Kitchen Door teaches culinary skills that nourish the body and mind.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

The day before Thanksgiving, as thoughts are turning to time with family and friends and, of course, holiday meals, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on the work of Through the Kitchen Door, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation that teaches culinary skills to low-income youth and adults as a pathway to better careers and nutrition in their lives.

Last week, the Washington Times ran a piece on Leisel Flashenberg, co-founder of Through the Kitchen Door, and how she and her husband came to create the organization while living in Costa Rica.

The article states:

In one 24-hour period, she [Leisel] says, she catered for a French ambassador who complimented her work and also heard from a woman who had participated in a training program Ms. Flashenberg had established for local women to learn kitchen skills — enough so that some could earn a living. 

The trainee told her: ‘Today I could pack up my children and leave the man who has been beating me for 25 years because I know now I can support myself.’

‘You can tell which one resonated with me the most,’ Ms. Flashenberg says. ‘The subtext became the curriculum of what we are doing today.’

A great story around the holiday that draws our appreciation not only to the value of a good meal in our lives, but in its ability to bring people together and nourish the soul. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lisa Kays is The Women’s Foundation’s Director of Communications.

From Afghanistan to Bank of America, thanks to a Goodwill training program.

Posted on by Gwen Rubinstein

Goodwill of Greater Washington offers numerous programs in addition to the Women in Construction program that The Women’s Foundation supports.

Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending a graduation ceremony for the most recent learners in Goodwill’s Bank Skills Training Program.  I left so inspired by all of the graduates and how far they had come. 

Especially moving were remarks by one student in particular, Susan Jelanizada, who told the story of her path to Goodwill and a new job in banking, which began in Afghanistan.

I share her remarks here because I think they can also inspire other women and girls and demonstrate the power of the programs that support their journeys to financial independence and economic security–whether those journeys begin in Arlington or Afghanistan.

Susan says:
 
“… Only a few years ago, women in my homeland of Afghanistan were denied any access to education or a meaningful role in society. Women and, to some extent, men, were barred from any meaningful education or professional pursuits. Girls were not allowed to continue any form of formal education beyond age 13.  Boys could only study at the ultra-conservative and extremist madrasas. My family and I were fortunate enough to have left Afghanistan and avoided the brutal realities of daily life under the extremist regime. Nonetheless, living in Pakistan was no picnic, either.

We faced many challenges living in Pakistan, including a language and some cultural barriers. However, life there offered us something that we could not get back home: access to basic education. We worked hard, and we took advantage of whatever opportunities were available.

While I count myself as one of the lucky few who has had the privilege of migrating to the United States, starting life anew has not been easy.

First, there is the culture shock.  America is a place where people enjoy freedoms unheard of in my homeland.  It is also a much different environment as far as the culture and norms are concerned. It was especially difficult for me as the oldest child in the family to leave my family and live all by myself for the first time. And this was not just a few miles away from home, but thousands of miles away. We value our family greatly in my culture and visit one another pretty often. Social life in Afghanistan tends to be more intimate and families tend to have close relations with one another.  Furthermore, it is quite untraditional for an Afghan woman to live by herself and away from her family in Afghanistan. 

However, I believe living away from my family has made me stronger and given me opportunities as well as challenges to grow and succeed in ways impossible back home.

My experiences have helped me develop a certain level of interest and appreciation for education and yearn for a brighter future; however, it was very hard for me to find the way how to do it.  I was not sure how to start the new life in the United States, how to pursue my career and my goals.  I didn’t know anything about the culture and environment.

I tried to apply for jobs online, but somehow I did not get a positive response. Maybe it is because I did not have work experience in the U.S., or maybe I didn’t know how to make my resume according to the job opening.

Finally, feeling disappointed and exhausted, I asked my employee specialist at the Department of Social Services of Fairfax County to let me know if there were training programs to prepare me for a job.

I had never thought about banking before coming to Goodwill, but after sharing my work experience with David, the Bank Skills Trainer, I found out that I had done all the jobs and had the skills that are needed in a bank for a teller.

I was so impressed by the service and training I received from Goodwill.

It has helped me to achieve my goals and start my new career in banking.  At Goodwill, we have learned about banking terminology and jargon.

Besides this, David helped us in making our resumes and prepared us for interviews.

I personally really liked the practice interview part where we really received constructive feedback from the recruiters. The practice prepared me to pass the real interview at the job fair and, luckily, I received an offer to work with Bank of America on the day of the job fair.

I count myself a successful person because I have never given up in life, despite all the ups and downs. I always believed in myself and knew that ‘I can do it.’  I am happy and proud to have been part of this class where I got to know all the wonderful people who are graduating today, as well as the volunteers from so many banks.

In closing, I would like to thank Goodwill for providing such training programs that help people start their careers. Thank you to David for being so nice and helpful with all of us and thanks to Valerie for helping us and providing us extra support.

Thanks to all of the Goodwill team for giving us a chance to achieve our career goals.

Gwen Rubinstein is a program officer at The Women’s Foundation. 

Celebrating bright futures with Training Futures and the 1K Club!

Posted on by Laura Forman

One of the many things I appreciate about The Women’s Foundation is how deliberately it works to bring people together–both donors and Grantee Partners–to build community. For example, as a member of the 1K Club, I’m occasionally invited to special events that showcase Grantee Partners and their outstanding work.

Last Thursday, I attended such an event: the graduation ceremony for the latest class of the Training Futures program. This group of 48 women and men had completed a 25-week office skills training program for underemployed and unemployed workers.

Their graduation was held at the Gannett headquarters in McLean.  As students were called up to receive their diplomas, they were each complimented in a special way and challenged to move forward to continued success.

The pride in each of the graduates was palpable. Each graduate had been trained and given skills to become productive workers. They also developed ties to a nurturing community and support group that will be there for them when they need it.

This class represented more than 20 different nationalities and a variety of skill levels. We were told that the program creates an office simulation for trainees. Students are taught a full-range of current computer office programs, keyboarding, business English and math, filing, how to use a calculator, and customer service. They also are expected to dress professionally, arrive on time, complete office assignments, and interact professionally with their fellow classmates as well as their teachers.

In the process, Training Futures creates a community of support for their trainees who learn they are not alone, that others do care about them and want to see them succeed. They also work in internships and can earn up to 17 college credits from Northern Virginia Community College during their six months of training.

Obviously, this was a triumphant experience on many levels. Training Futures was able to show what they do and how effective they are (more than half of the 48 graduates have already found jobs and the others are interviewing), and thank the funders who continue to support them.

I look forward to celebrating the successes of other Grantee Partners in the years to come as The Women’s Foundation continues to both build and invest in our community.

Laura Forman is a member of the 1K Club and serves on the Open Door Capacity Fund Committee.  She is president of Laura Forman Communications LLC.

Training Futures is a program of Northern Virginia Family Services, a Grantee Partner of The Women’s Foundation.

How a strategic plan can change a woman's life.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

A strategic plan for a nonprofit can change a woman’s life.

We can prove it.

Computer C.O.R.E. (CORE), which helps low-income adults acquire the computer and life skills they need to pursue career aspirations, received grants in 2006 and 2007 from The Women’s Foundation to support a strategic planning process.

The process helped the organization redirect its mission from one that just provides computer training to one that also focuses on moving CORE students into better jobs—and the other skills needed to meet that goal.

Later in 2007, Donna Harrington received a significant promotion as a result of this planning process and CORE’s new focus.

A single mother and native Washingtonian with a 14-year-old daughter, Donna came to CORE with only a part-time job as a reservationist.  She began attending classes twice a week in July, spending two hours every night along with 11 classmates mastering Microsoft Office.

As a result of the new mission and focus, one hour each night was also devoted to the other skills required to advance a career: resume writing, interviewing and communication.

The investment paid off
Donna’s investment, and CORE’s investment in her, paid off.

Two months after graduation, she was promoted to the position of Transportation Supervisor at Senior Services of Alexandria. She now oversees six employees and the program’s billing.

Janet Barnett, executive director of Senior Services and Donna’s supervisor, says, “Because of Donna’s incredible desire to improve herself, she sought out the skills she needed and gained expertise. The position she holds today used to be held by two staff, but, because of Donna’s computer skills, she is able to efficiently and effectively handle all the tasks.”

The role of The Women’s Foundation
Just like CORE gave Donna a step up in her career, CORE credits The Women’s Foundation with supporting its growth and success over the years—positioning them to help Donna, and students just like her, in an increasingly effective manner.

And it wasn’t just about the initial funding. In fact, aside from a Leadership Award in 2003, CORE has received funds only to work on their own infrastructure and capacity—not their programs.

The Women’s Foundation is committed to investments like these because funding for operational support is difficult to find, yet crucial to the effectiveness of any nonprofit—particularly small, up-and-coming ones.

Therefore, all Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation are eligible to apply for Open Door Capacity Fund grants to improve their infrastructure, staffing and scope. The support CORE received to conduct their strategic planning process and hire their current executive director came through this fund.

“We are grateful to The Women’s Foundation for their strong support, financially and in expertise, throughout CORE’s development,” says Lynn O’Connell, executive director of Computer C.O.R.E.

The expertise Lynn refers to came following their Leadership Award, which brought CORE into The Women’s Foundation’s Grantee Partner community, where they had access to training, resources and support “beyond the check.”  And even beyond their Open Door grants. 

“The resources—media training, executive roundtables and a leadership retreat—were just what CORE needed to become an established organization in the community,” Lynn says. “The Women’s Foundation really went beyond merely being a funder and became a strong partner with CORE.”

Just as women like Donna need training and skills to open doors to higher salaries and better careers, nonprofits like CORE need training and funding to support their growth.

And their ability to serve our region’s women and girls.

And for them, The Women’s Foundation is proud to be able to open doors through the Open Door Capacity Fund.

June 2008 Open Door Capacity Fund grants: $145,000
10 year Open Door Capacity Fund grant total: $745,000

Stepping Stones Research Update: May 2008

Posted on by Liza Getsinger

As part of our ongoing commitment–in partnership with The Urban Institute–to providing information and resources related to the goals of Stepping Stones, please find below summary of recent research on issues of economic security and financial independence for women and their families.

This research is summarized and compiled for The Women’s Foundation by Liza Getsinger of The Urban Institute, NeighborhoodInfo DC.

Financial Education and Wealth Creation News

The Cost of Maintaining Ownership in the Current Crisis: Comparisons in Twenty Cities
By Dean Baker, Danilo Pelletiere and Hye Jin Rho
Center for Economic and Policy Research
April 2008

The collapse of the bubble in the U.S. housing market is creating chaos in financial markets, while throwing the economy into a recession. It is also threatening millions of homeowners and renters with the loss of their homes. This paper compares ownership and rental costs in twenty major metropolitan areas.

Key Findings:

  • In many markets, homeownership costs are in line with rental costs. In these areas, it is practical and desirable to focus on policies that keep homeowners in their homes.
  • Prices are now falling rapidly in many of these markets; homeowners are unlikely to accumulate equity. In fact, it is likely that many homeowners will end up selling their homes for less than their outstanding mortgage, even if new mortgages are issued with substantial write-downs from the original mortgage.
  • In bubble-inflated markets, homeownership is not only a costly and risky proposition, but continuing price declines mean that homeowners will not accrue any equity.
  • A policy of ensuring suitable rental options is likely to be more helpful to many current homeowners. This policy can encourage the rapid conversion of vacant and abandoned units to rental properties, as well as policies that facilitate the conversion of ownership units to rental units for the same households.
  • Many of the properties facing foreclosure are already rental properties. In these cases, foreclosures often result in the displacement of the current tenants. Congress should recognize this problem and consider policies that provide greater security to tenants in such situations.

Abstract, introduction and key findings
Full text

Jobs and Business Ownership News

Hometown Prosperity: Increasing Opportunity for DC’s Low-Income Working Families
DC Appleseed and DC Fiscal Policy Institute
January 2008 (Released April 14, 2008)

This report describes working poor families with children in the District and the barriers they face to economic advancement, and lays out essential policy changes that could improve their situation.

Key findings and Policy Recommendations:

  • Nearly one in three working families in the District was poor in 2005.
  • In fact, a higher proportion of working families in the District is poor compared to the proportion of working families in neighboring states or in the nation as a whole.
  • Enhance access to community college educational offerings for its residents by encouraging and developing regional partnerships and/or investing in the creation of a local community college as a branch of or separate from the University of DC.
  • Make a priority of raising wages in women-dominated sectors and moving women into non-traditional careers.
  • Set wage and benefit standards for all economic development programs.
  • Implement paid sick leave for all District workers and consider developing a paid disability/family leave program.
  • Continue to address the affordable housing crisis in the city, and promote housing for low-income families that takes into account access to transportation, jobs, and educational resources.

Abstract, introduction and key findings
Full text

Human Capital and Women’s Business Ownership
By Darrene Hackler, Ellen Harpel, and Heike Mayer
Small Business Administration- Office of Advocacy
April 2008

This article begins to shed light on the relationship between different elements of human capital and self-employment among women.

Key Findings:

  • The study finds that self-employed women have more education and increased their educational attainment at a faster rate compared to other working women.
  • The percentage of self-employed women in managerial occupations consistently exceeded the rate for other working women, and self-employed women participated in different industries than other working women.
  • More self-employed men hold an advanced degree compared to self-employed women over the study period, but the gap narrowed considerably by 2006.
  • Self-employed minorities were slightly more likely than self-employed whites to have a college degree throughout much of the study period.
  • Earnings data show that the self-employed were most likely to be either in the first (lowest) or fourth (highest) quartile.
  • A lower percentage of self-employed women hold managerial occupations than do self-employed men, and there are lower rates of self-employment in industries where there is less overall female participation (such as communications, transportation, wholesale trade, manufacturing, and construction).

Abstract, introduction and key findings
Full text

Child Care and Early Education News

Planning for Quality Schools: Meeting the Needs of District Families
By David F. Garrison, Marni D. Allen, Margery Austin Turner, Jennifer Comey, Barika X. Williams, Elizabeth Guernsey, Mary Filardo, Nancy Huvendick, and Ping Sung
Brookings Institution, The Urban Institute, and 21st Century School Fund
April 24, 2008

This report is the first phase of a three-part project to help the District of Columbia create a firm analytical basis for planning for quality schools to meet the needs of the city’s families.

Key Findings:

  • The District’s population has increased since 2000; the total number of school-age children has declined slightly. Conditions in both the housing market and the public school system contribute to this trend.
  • The District’s population is becoming increasingly diverse, with rising numbers of whites and Hispanics and a declining share of blacks. Still, the District remains highly segregated along both racial and income lines. The populations of Wards 7 and 8 are over 90 percent black, while nearly all of the city’s white residents live in Wards 2 and 3. And in 2006, median household income for the city’s white residents was $92,000, almost three times as high as the $34,000 median household income of the city’s blacks.
  • Almost half of all white public school students live in Ward 3, and almost none live East of the River. In contrast, more than half of all black public school students live East of the River, while Hispanic students are heavily concentrated in Wards 1 and 4.
  • There are 234 public schools and distinct public school programs in the District serving pre-school students through adults without high school diplomas, a significant expansion of supply since 1997.
  • In 2006-07, 72, 378 students were enrolled in DCPS and public charter schools, close to the same number as the previous year, but substantially lower than a decade earlier. Since 1997-98, the number of students attending DCPS schools has dropped by almost one-third, while public charter enrollment has grown by over 400 percent.
  • In 2006-07, there were 10,857 public special education students in the District, just over 15 percent of all public school students. This is on the high end compared to other high-poverty urban school districts. Special education students, like the general student population, are concentrated East of the River, and a disproportionate share of black public school students are classified as special education students (compared to white and Hispanic public school students).

Abstract, introduction and key findings
Full text

The Impact of the Mortgage Crisis on Children and Their Education
By Julia B. Isaacs and Phillip Lovell
Brookings Institution
April 2008

By examining past research, this article examines the potential impacts of these foreclosures on children are their education, behavior and health.

Key Findings:

  • Research shows that children who experience excessive mobility, such as those impacted by the mortgage crisis, will suffer in school.
  • The National Assessment of Educational Progress (known as the Nation’s Report Card) has found that students with two or more school changes in the previous year are half as likely to be proficient in reading as their stable peers.
  • One study found that frequent movers were 77 percent more likely than children who have not moved to have four or more behavior problems.
  • One study found that working families spending more than half of their income on housing have less money available than other families to spend on such crucial items as health care and health insurance
  • The mortgage crisis is more than a blow to our economy. It is crippling our children, their education, and as a result, the nation’s future. And while our government is working to alleviate the financial damage caused by this calamity, the impact on the nation’s children is going unnoticed. As economists focus on solving the problem, policy-makers must make an effort to mitigate the damage of this disaster on our young people.

Abstract, introduction and key findings
Full text 

Health and Safety News

Medicaid, SCHIP and Economic Downturn: Policy Challenges and Policy Responses
Kaiser Family Foundation
April, 28 2008

Examines the implications of a downturn for health coverage and state programs and projects the impact of one percentage point rise in the national unemployment rate on Medicaid and SCHIP and the number of uninsured individuals.

Key Findings:

  • Economic Downturns Increase Medicaid Enrollment and Spending – This analysis shows that a 1 percentage point rise in the national unemployment rate would increase Medicaid and SCHIP enrollment by 1 million (600,000 children and 400,000 non-elderly adults) and cause the number of uninsured to grow by 1.1 million.
  • Economic Downturns Reduce State Revenues – Medicaid and SCHIP are also affected by state revenue declines. Recent Urban Institute research shows that a 1 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate causes state General Fund revenue to drop by 3 to 4 percent below expected levels. 
  • State Policy Responses Can Worsen Cyclical Downturns – Unlike the federal government, almost all states are legally required to balance their budgets. To meet this requirement in times of economic stress, states may take such steps as tapping reserves, borrowing from trust funds, securitizing future revenue streams, delaying spending from one fiscal year to the next, etc.
  • Congress May Consider Options to Better Target Federal Relief – As states enter a new economic downturn, policymakers could consider three basic options for fiscal relief. One approach would, like JGTRRA, provide a uniform increase in Medicaid matching rates to all states, for a specified time. 
  • Federal Fiscal Relief Can Prevent Medicaid Cuts During Economic Downturns – As a new economic downturn unfolds, many states appear headed for serious budget shortfalls. The federal government does not have balanced budget requirements, so it has the flexibility to target supplemental funds to states during an economic downturn, preventing harmful and ill-timed cuts in health coverage.

Abstract, introduction and key findings
Full text

Other News and Research

Women in the Wake of the Storm: Examining the Post-Katrina Realities of the Women of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
By Dr. Avis Jones-DeWeever
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
April 2008

This report tells the stories of women post-Katrina and, in so doing, provides an analysis of women’s increased vulnerability during times of disaster, and discusses how the experiences of women affected by Katrina align with the experiences of women around the world who have experienced other large-scale crises. It also provides a race/class/gendered analysis of women’s post-Katrina experiences, with a special emphasis on what they are doing now to rebuild their lives, reconstruct their homes, restore their families, and reclaim their communities.  It tells the story of Katrina from the eyes of the women who lived through it.

Key findings:

  • Most of those with whom the author spoke with seemed relieved that other people wanted to know what they had been through, how they had survived, and what they were doing now to keep on keeping on. Nearly every woman bemoaned the fact that their voices had not been heard and as a result, their stories have been left untold.
  • In conversations with women in and around New Orleans, three primary issues remained at the forefront of their concerns: housing, healthcare, and economic well-being. Each of these issues had multiple and often interlocking reverberations on their lives. All of those with whom we spoke expressed a deep commitment to their communities and desire to face any remaining challenges; however, our contacts’ health, sense of security, and for some even that small but persistent kernel of sustaining hope all have been jeopardized by the slow pace of recovery and the prolonged lack of normalcy.

Policy Recommendations:

  • Make affordable housing a top priority. The safety of women and girls remain in jeopardy with each day that severe housing shortages go unaddressed.
  • Incorporate women in the rebuilding economy through non-traditional training and enforcement of anti-discrimination laws. Women by and large have been shut out of the most lucrative aspects of the rebuilding economy and have suffered as a result.
  • Increase the availability and quality of child care and schools. As the population of the region continues to expand, so does the need for child care and educational institutions.
  • Address both physical and mental health care needs, especially among the most needy. Health care post-Katrina, for many, has become yet another disaster.

Full text

Thanks to The Women's Foundation for the experience of a lifetime!

Posted on by Sharon Wise

Dear Washington Area Women’s Foundation,

My name is Sharon Wise and I’m one of the students enrolled in the Female Property Management Certificate training at Southeastern University (a Stepping Stones Jobs Fund Grantee Partner).
 
I just wanted to let you know that everything is great!  I love my class and I am learning so much. I am in a communications class and the facilitators are so funny and smart.  I did not know there were so many ways to email, write letters and express oneself.

I thank you all 100 times over for allowing me to have an opportunity to be in this class!  My self esteem has increased because I feel I am part of something. 

I have not missed one class and I am excited on Tuesday, for I know Wednesday is coming. 

We had a quiz yesterday and I know I Aced it!  Hurray!

I want to share my experiences so that you all will know that someone is benefiting and learning.  I love this class!

This is an experience of a lifetime.

I just want to thank you all so much for just doing the work that you all do to make it possible for women like myself to go through this fabulous program, and I just look forward to being one of your success stories.

Sharon Wise is one of thousands of women throughout our region benefiting from the power of giving together. 

Join us for our 2007 Leadership Luncheon to meet some of these women, the Grantee Partners who are serving them and to learn how YOU can become a part of the Washington area’s most powerful wave of women’s philanthropy that is changing lives, and our community, every day.

Marjorie Sims speaks out on WAMU!

Posted on by Lisa Kays

On Labor Day, Marjorie Sims took to the airwaves on WAMU, during the Diane Rehmwoman with drill Show, to offer a powerful commentary on the importance of investing in nontraditional pathways to opportunity for women in our region. Hear her speak out.

Then, tune in on Friday, September 14 at 6:35 and 8:35 a.m. to hear Marjorie’s commentary on women’s empowerment on 88.5 FM WAMU.

Welding a new world for girls.

Posted on by Lisa Kays

Check this out.  In Vermont, girls are being trained in welding as part of a three week camp, Rosie’s Girls, and are talking about how much it’s raising their self-esteem and confidence.

"If I can do this, I can do that, too," one girl says in this video.

Looks like these girls, along with the women of the YWCA National Capital Area’s WAWIT program–and others placing women in nontraditional careers–are truly welding a new world for women in more ways than one.

To learn more about similar programs The Women’s Foundation is supporting in our region, check out our posts on Goodwill of Greater Washington’s female construction and environmental services programs.

Then, join us in welding a new world for women by investing in and expanding strategies and programs like these here in the Washington metropolitan region. 

 Come on, you know you want to.  All the cool girls are doing it. 

DCWA: Achieving balance difficult if you can't weigh your options.

Posted on by Natasha Pendleton

The following is the fifth post in a series covering aspects and angles on the DC Women’s Agenda’s recent white paper, Voices and Choices for D.C. Women and Girls: Recommendations for City Leaders 2007.  The DC Women’s Agenda promotes the advancement, equality and well-being of women in D.C. This series of blogs is an extension of a very important proposal of recommendations to city leaders to truly make tangible changes in the Washington metropolitan area.

There has always been a conversation around working mothers and the balance between protecting their career growth and being able to spend time with loved ones.

Most of us would prefer more flexibility at work, so that we could go to every one of our daughter’s ballet recitals or our son’s little league games, or heck, even a PTA meeting every once in while.

But when our hands our tied, putting food on the table and a roof over our heads tends to be a higher priority.

If everyone could have it all, I’m sure they would.  For most though–and particularly for low income families–they can’t.   

It is because of this that the Washington Post article, “Part-Time Looks Fine to Working Mothers: 60% Prefer it to Full Time or No Job” falls short in accounting for the true realities of women–and particularly low-income women–to say the least.

The article reviews a recent study that claims that the proportion of working mothers who prefer to work part-time has jumped by 12 percentage points since 1997.  More importantly, despite the fact that 60 percent of working moms find working part-time as the ideal, only 24 percent of them have part-time hours.

The article attributes the cause for these numbers as being due to a differing value system that Generation X possesses over the Baby Boomers.  As Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, claims, “We found that the younger people are more family-centric than Boomers are.  Most young people have seen someone lose their job, and they have lived through 9/11. It’s not that they don’t want to work. They just want to work more flexibly.”

But what the article nonchalantly sweeps under the rug is that taking part-time hours “has meant some financial cutbacks and compromises,” which most low-income (or even moderate income) mothers can’t afford. The article explains, “Jackie Wyche, a married mother of four in Stafford who took part in the research, said part-time work is best — even though it is simply not possible in her life. ‘I have to pay the bills,’ she said. She wishes it were different.”

So, let’s make a difference and provide job training to mobilize women so that one day they may have the ability to weigh their options–which many cannot do as they work for low, hourly wages, do not have paid sick or vacation time and often, have little to no health insurance. 

Much of today’s workforce–a large proportion of this working mothers–cannot afford to take a day off work sick, much less cut back to part-time. 

Currently, according to the Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Portrait Project, 65 percent of women in the D.C. area are employed.  Yet, a third of women-headed families who work (which tends to be the trend of low-income mothers) are impoverished and 11 percent of women in D.C. are unemployed.

Many of these working women have dead end jobs that pay low wages and offer no benefits. 

These women are therefore stuck in a vicious cycle of living paycheck to paycheck.  As the DCWA white paper explains, these jobs “keep working poor persons well below the poverty line and just one small step ahead of homelessness.  In fact, 31.6 percent of homeless DC adult residents are employed.” 

They’re holding on by a thread and we need to do something about it.

Funding for job training, particularly for low-income women, would:

  • Provide women, especially mothers, with the skills that they’ll need to advance in a career that provides self-sufficiency and mobility in the company–not just a job;
  • Improve literacy and basic education levels;
  • Help women overcome barriers to living wage employment, such as child care, mental and physical health problems, a lack of a driver’s license, and housing;
  • Assist trainees in developing soft skills such as better communication, team building, self-esteem and better confidence to help them progress and advance in higher paying, more stable careers;
  • Provide job development support to ensure that trainees can search for and obtain a position within their chosen career path in the future; and,  
  • Create networks to link trainees with jobs in high-demand sectors and which pay at least $11.75 per hour ( D.C.’s new living wage) and offer benefits.

Contact your D.C. councilmember and tell them that we value our families and a healthy work-family balance for all of the working mothers in the District of Columbia.  Tell them that one of the best ways of accomplishing that is through job training to mobilize working mothers so that they can afford to scale their options and remain self-sufficient.

For more information on how job training programs funded with support from The Women’s Foundation are making a difference in the lives of women throughout our community: 
Constructing futures, one woman at a time.
Street Sense vendor finds a stepping stone in Goodwill course.
WAWIT: Welding a new world for women.
Women hammering their way to social change, not just another job.

The DC Women’s Agenda, DC Employment Justice Center and Wider Opportunities for Women are all Grantee Partners of The Women’s Foundation. 

About the blogger:
Natasha Pendleton is a summer intern with Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW), a convenor of the DC Women’s Agenda.  She is currently a senior attaining a bachelor of arts degree in sociology with concentrations in law and society and urban and regional planning at Cornell University.  She serves as theatrical director of an anti-oppression theatre troop, which performs for more than 5,000 people nationwide (annually) to promote diversity and racial harmony on college campuses.  A native of Chicago, Natasha was motivated to come to Washington, D.C. this summer to work with WOW by issues of social and economic justice that have pressed upon her heart for some time.  Natasha truly believes that not only is the government accountable, but it is our responsibility to be informed citizens to challenge the state of local policy.  And furthermore, as those informed citizens, it is our responsibility to raise voices and awareness so that all people, especially women and girls, can live in safe, fair, and thriving communities.