Creating a new vision of our world

Love this idea. They're called "common security clubs," and they're all about looking at our personal, national and global economic issues together with a view to understanding--and changing--the forces at work on us all. Groups of 10 to 20 adults meet, either independently or affiliated with an institution (religious secular or otherwise) for a minimum of 5 times and then decide how they want to proceed. This is a concept with promise for single working women battling things all alone out there--generating ideas where working together we can improve each other's economic security.

 

Some questions to build club activities around:

1) Learn and reflect
Through popular education tools, videos, Bible study (if Christian church-affiliated), and shared readings, participants increase their understanding of the larger economic forces on our lives. Why is the economy in distress? How did these changes happen? What are the historical factors? How does this connect to the global economy? What are the ecological factors contributing to the changes? What is our vision for a healthy, sustainable economy? What are the sources of real security in my life?

2) Mutual aid and local action
Through stories, examples, Web-based resources, a workbook, and mutual support, participants reflect on what makes them secure. What can we do together to increase our economic security at the local level? What would it mean to respond to my economic challenges in community? How can I reduce my economic vulnerability in conjunction with others? How can I get out of debt? How can I help my neighbor facing foreclosure or economic insecurity? Can I downscale and reduce my consumption and ecological footprint and save money?

3) Social action
The economic crisis is in part the result of an unengaged citizenry and government. What can we do together to build an economy based on building healthy communities rather than shoring up the casino economy? What public policies would make our communities more secure? Through discussion and education, participants might find ways to engage in a larger program of change around the financial system, economic development, tax policy, and other elements of our shared economic life.

Great ideas. Thanks to Jillian for sharing. Read more here http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0902&article=we-re-in-this-together.

A historic new day - change from the heart

Congratulations to America on its new president-elect, Barack Obama, and the historic choice of the first president with African American blood. The early victory looks a lot like a mandate from the people for change. Now let us pray that our new leader will be up to the tasks ahead. I wish his acceptance speech had better reflected the climactic energy and hope that brought about his election. But he will undoubtedly grow there, too, as he settles into his role as a world leader.

Read an interesting commentary in Cat Thompson's winter newsletter, written before the election took place. She talks about how our minds seem to have separated--through our Republican and Democratic divide--personal responsibility from social responsibility. She reminds us, along with other soulful musings, that we really are enough:

We are designed as humans to manifest exactly what we need when we need it. We have forgotten that we have this power, because we have been brainwashed into thinking we are supposed to have more than we need. This is a relatively new idea - less than a hundred years old - yet one we violently defend. What if it's time to let go of that idea? What if we embraced the thought that we could always manifest what we needed when we needed it?

In this prolonged period of fear and economic uncertainty in our country, such an empowering thought is balm to the spirit. And the 60% of 93 million single Americans who supported Obama (according to a pre-election Gallup poll) are the leading edge--along with millions of young people--in the wave of independence and courage and trust that empowerment brings with it. Single working women have been taking care of themselves for generations. And on this new day, we can again affirm deep in our hearts that we are truly enough. Your vote made a difference in this election. Your passion and creativity are making a difference in the world.

Single women pioneering creative lifestyles

That's what Dr. Kay Trimberger observed in her ten-year study of single working women's varied lifestyles. Single women today are pioneers--looking beyond traditional forms and breaking new ground to find ways to incorporate intimacy, connections with younger generations, friendship, sensuality, and so on into our lives.

She observed that the most satisfying single lives were supported by six pillars that the individual woman had mastered in some way:
a. Make a home – decorating, gardening, cooking
b. Work – meaningful, joyful but not workaholic
c. Network of friends and extended family – takes good social skills to achieve
d. Community - network(s) of connections through church, politics, work
e. Connection to next generation – relatives, friends, mentoring, other approaches
f. Sexuality – from creative celibacy, to widely varying arrangements with lovers, to other ways of incorporating sensuality

She was surprised to learn that the middle-class single women she studied came from the same types of typical middle class families as married women. They didn't have significantly more or less dysfunction in their early lives--as many people would suggest as a reason why women remain single.

Perhaps her most fascinating observation was that the least happy single women she studied were those who put most of their energy into either finding or keeping a partner.

Dr. Trimberger urges all single women to claim what is good about their lives. That we should feel free to do what we want--not what society tells us to do. Listen to her thoughtful interview on the new pioneering single woman of today.

Raising our consciousness

Many of us aren't aware of the subtle and insidious ways that society disapproves of us for being single. A listener shared her reaction to the SWWAN Dive interview with Dr. Karen Gail Lewis the other day. We appreciate this passionate comment from her:

"As your interview with Dr. Lewis unfolded, I kept thinking 'right on! right on! right on!"

"I sent the interview link to several coworkers - all professional women - who are recently or soon-to-be divorced and seem to be questioning why they feel so good about not having men in their lives. Dr. Lewis had the answer to that! I also sent the link to two friends who get depressed because they haven't found mates, and to a career coach who had related to me that "research shows women generally have a tougher time in retirement than men" so they could hear Dr. Lewis' challenges to biased research, ages-old cultural stereotypes and fears about single women.

"Her wise statement about being choosy in dating and getting involved with a man is key. Let's drop the denial - there are many substandard men out there, men who are indifferent to women's needs, their dreams and passions. These men STILL think women's lives must revolve around them. No matter what planet they come from, I don't believe it's our JOB as women to teach these men how to relate. It was gratifying to hear my point of view validated! Here we are forty years into "liberation" and women keep selling themselves short - stop the insanity! As Dr. Lewis said, knowing who's appropriate to let into one's life, not just settling for anybody is key. That's wisdom that should be spread far and wide!

"Thanks Barbara and Dr. Lewis for the great consciousness raising session and the resources you mentioned!" ~ S.W.

Do you feel like communicating with other single working women?

I didn't mean to drive anyone nuts with those couple of posts from when I was at the media-connections conference. What I was doing was practicing using Jott (god, I love that new program--here's my earlier post on Jott) to add posts, and using Blogger to send a photo with a post.

Anyway, if you got annoyed, sorry about that. Hope you'll ignore it and come back to see what else is going on.

By the way, we have established a couple of different ways to connect -- LinkedIn for SWWAN, yahoo groups for SWWAN/singleworkingwomen. Do you guys have a preference on how to connect with each other? I'm assuming you would like to communicate with other members, yet? Please email us to let us know your thoughts.

Women and Work - Rutgers study statistics

Why so many working poor women/mothers? Biggest reason is lack of access to appropriate training to increase skill levels.

A recent Rutgers study suggests online learning, conducted in easy-to-reach locations at off-hours times, is the answer. In a pilot program conducted in New Jersey, the results were dramatic. Average wages increased by 14% and many women in the program went on to enter college or community college programs.

ALL the women felt this online program was the only way they would have been able to access training like this.

• Flexibility in time and location–Work around their schedules–Laptop computers
• Helps alleviate childcare demands–Age of children is important–Family literacy effects
• Helps alleviate transportation demands–Access to courses not available in local area
• Participation in the program increases women’s confidence and self-esteem[italics mine]

This is becoming a recurring theme in my networking, reading and interviewing lately. That sometimes all a woman needs is someone to show her, give her the facts, support her curiosity, and help her fulfill her obligations while learning.

It's a catch-22 for women. They want to be good mothers, good friends, good daughters, and--in the case of married women--good spouses. These are huge self-imposed--and society-approved--assignments that don't leave much time for a woman's own growth. But not taking time to nurture yourself can increase any woman's sense of being less important than others.

Here are some of the study's stats:

• 2/3 of married women work
• 60.7% of mothers with children under the age of 3 work.
• 47% of women are on their own. 27% are single and 20% are divorced, separated or widowed.
• Single women head 18% of all families.
• Women’s labor force participation is expected to grow from 1.5 million to over 2.3 million in 2015.

In the nearly 40 years since the Equal Pay Act passed, the pay gap between men and women has only narrowed by less than a half. Overall, women earn about 74% of men’s wages. Compared to men of the same race

• White women earn 70% of men’s wages
• Black women earn 83% of men’s wages
• Hispanic women earn 87% of men’s wages
• 2 out of 3 working women earn less than $30,000 per year
• 9 out of 10 working women earn less than $50,000

Many thanks to Dr. Mary Gatta for her work. View the complete Rutgers Center for Women and Work slide show here.

Problem? Get answers from your subconscious

How often do you consult your inner genius when you have a problem to solve? I remember telling some members of a client company about how I often wake up in the morning and have these amazing thoughts about what to write for my latest client project...that I considered this information sent from the universe and not of my own generation. Like a muse, for which I'm merely the receiver. Oh, how they looked at me like I was crazy. We single working women--especially those of us who live alone--have an extra good chance of meeting this muse frequently.

I suspect they were mainly just too tired in the mornings to have ever noticed their innner guidance. Because I believe we all have it. Sometimes, it's about trusting your 'still, small voice'...your feelings about conscious decisions (Vera Nadine does a nice job talking about this), but I'm also talking about letting your deep subconscious give you answers that your conscious mind isn't able to access. It's a secret we can all use. Before you go to sleep, present your mind with a problem or issue you need an answer for. Then when you wake up (even to pee in the middle of the night even), stay quiet and listen. Don't talk to a roommate or bedmate. Just remain quiet as you slowly wake up. Keep a pen and notebook handy next to your bed and a small light you can turn on without jolting yourself fully awake.

As you swim slowly up into consciousness, you are almost sure to hear ideas for solving your dilemma. If nothing comes at first, go back to sleep and let it happen again. You'll be surprised at how original and creative some of your answers will be.

Caution: This works better if you weren't partying too hearty the night before.

Stories that take us away

When you think about a lot of what's on television these days--murder, gore, sitcoms, and reality shows--and the magical enchantment of the Internet, you might wonder if books have lost their power.

But all you have to do is find a good one and you'll likely be lost to those other blandishments. That's why at SWWAN we are building a database of book (and movie) reviews by single women. If you're anything like me regarding fiction, you may have a hard time knowing what to pick out at the library or at the bookstore. Everyone tends to rely on the blurbs on the cover--but what do we have in common with most of those reviewers? Not much in most cases. And even though we're all wonderfully individual, we thought it might be nice to get a recommendation from a fellow single-woman traveler.

One day we hope to start a star system like with Netflix where you rate for yourself and then they recommend other things you might like. For now we just take your description of the story (and a good quote if you like), and let you judge for yourself. So check out our book and movie reviews page and maybe start your own rating list.

Book review: "Eat. Pray. Love"...and while you're at it laugh

What a story. Gripping true-life story of a woman finding her way out of realizing she doesn't want a child, then her marriage, then the profound depression she finds herself in. Elizabeth Barrett is a writer (for GQ), and she really knows how to bring you into the story--hook, line, and laughter.

After all this misery the newly single author decides to "find herself" by taking a year off from her job and traveling to three places she's always wanted to visit: Italy, India, and Indonesia (Bali). Okay, I grant you this is probably not something most of us could easily pull off. But she's a writer and her editor decides to pay her for this trip if she'll write a book about it. Whew, what a dream, eh?

Anyway, she eats her way through Italy, practices deep self-discipline in an ashram in India, and learns balance---and falls in love---in Bali. If this type of scenario appeals to you I guarantee you, you will laugh, cry, nod, laugh, and cry some more.

I turned more page corners down in this book than I have in a long time. Here's is one particularly poignant passage:

"To create a family with a spouse is one of the most fundamental ways a person can find continuity and meaning in American (or any) society. ... First you are a child, then you are a teenager, young person, married,parent, retired grandparent. At everry stage you know who you are, you know what your duty is, and you know where to sit at the family reunion" As you sit in the shade watching your progeny, the question "who are you?" is clearly answered--You're the person who created all this. The satisfaction of this knowledge is immediate, and moreover, it's universally recognized. "But what if, either by choice or by reluctant necessity, you end up not participating in this comforting cycle...? ...You need to find another purpose, another measure by which to judge whether or not you've been a successfull human being."

She says Viriginia Woolf noted that women's lives have the shadow of a sword across them. On one side is conventionality, on the other confusion. Woolf argues that crossing over to the other side may bring a far more interesting existence to a woman, but it will certainly be a more perilous journey.

What a perfect description for many a single working woman's life--not easy, definitely not conventional, and often not very comfortable. Remember the line from the movie When Harry Met Sally, when Sally's best friend lays her head on her fiance's chest after witnessing Harry and Sally fighting and says, "Promise I'll never have to be 'out there' again."

Congratulations to all of us single working women for our courage and creativity in passionately living life on the other side of the sword.

Uninsured have medical care options in Chicago

Was casting about looking for facilities in Chicago that serve uninsured patients and found a nice little collection (list is below). Meanwhile, I ran across this item, too:

AstraZeneca, one of the giants of the pharmaceutical world, recently instituted a program to help low-income individuals and families get free or low-cost medicine. They will supply the medicines to healthcare facilities run by "non-profit organizations that have a licensed outpatient pharmacy or dispensary on site," among other requirements. Patients should have no prescription drug coverage and have a household income of $30,000 or less for an individual, or $60,000 for a family of four.

This is a small piece of good news for some of the millions of people in the U.S. who are without healthcare coverage---which includes a good percentage of us single working women, some of them moms.

Happy 2008, folks. I hope you had an enjoyable beginning to your year and are fired up for good things to happen all 12 months coming up.

Here's a list of some of the medical care facilities for the uninsured in Chicago:

Erie West Town Health Center
1701 W. Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 666-3494

Erie Humboldt Park Health Center
2750 W. North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
(312) 666-3494

Community Health Clinic - UIC / Northwestern med students volunteer
2611 W. Chicago, 60622
773/395-9808

Pacific Garden Mission Clinic
647 S. State St., 60605
312/922-1462

Pilsen Homeless Health Services
731 West 17th Street, 60616
(312) 243-5226

Rush Community Service Initiatives
1725 W. Harrison, 60612
312/942-8116

St. Basil’s Free People’s Clinic
1850 W. Garfield Blvd., 60609
773/436-4870

Cook County Bureau of Health Services (312) 864-6004
offers guidance on finding medical care

Midwest College of Oriental Medicine - have been known to offer free acupuncture
4334 North Hazel Suite 206
Chicago, Illinois 60613
Telephone: 773-975-1295

Talk to your team!!

If you're not used to calling on others when you feel low or lonely, or when you're stressed or overwhelmed, you're not the only one. If you're like a lot of us single working women, you don't want to bother people. Don't want to appear needy.

But there's tons of proof that it's better for both your immediate sitation and your long-term health to have yourself a team you can call on when the chips aren't falling your way--and even when they are!

It takes practice to develop the habit of reaching out to those special people. Don't assume your team knows you need them. Make a point of connecting regularly and always letting them know you appreciate their help.

This is a new practice for me--and I often forget to consult my team. Like yesterday when I got so busy preparing to have a special holiday dinner. Totally forgot to think about connecting with them instead of snacking through the busy-ness.

Well, It' not new year's eve but I can resolve today to start reaching out more. Thank God for cell phones that keep your contacts' info.

What simple thing can you resolve to do today that will enrich your life--and strenthen your connectedness to life?

Tired? Draw the line

Yes, tiredness is often a chronic state for single working women. We want to do so much! When you don't have children or a spouse at home, you tend to reach out many evenings for your social life as well as for business/networking. Why do you think people tend to gain weight when they get married? It's because they get so relaxed! My ex-husband had tried to gain weight all his life (he was pretty scrawny as a kid). Once we got married, he gained 20 lbs. in the first year without even trying! Imagine how much easier it is for us females to gain weight...

Anyway, if you're tired a lot--and most of us are--here are a few tips.

1. Don't watch TV in your bedroom. Just use it for sleeping.
2. Don't drink too much alcohol--some say any at all is bad. It disrupts your sleep patterns and you'll get less sleep and what you do get will be poorer quality.
3. Listen to your body. If you feel tired at the end of the work day and the choice is between going to that one more networking meeting tonight and skipping it in favor of a good movie, remember that all you can do is all you can do--and it is enough.
4. Keep a book handy that reminds you not to take things too seriously. Find one that fits your beliefs and your comfort zone.

I don't hold that these will be right for everybody by any means, but here are a few I keep around to transform my attitude: A Course in Miracles (tough reading but fascinating perspectives on every page), Creative Visualization (inspiration for making things happen in your life without killing yourself), The Seat of the Soul (radical stuff in here but some beautiful ideas as well).

Thanks: A story of omission

It only makes sense to thank the people who help you. And the list of those in my life who've helped me is long and stretches many decades back.

It so happens that recently I failed to give due recognition to some people who have helped SWWAN a lot. At the celebrations of Single Working Women's Week a couple of weeks ago I didn't mention the advisory board members who have supported our efforts to get this holiday into gear. These generous people are listed and profiled on our website here. Cristina Andersson, Billa Bhandari, George Carpenter, Beatrice Davis, Monica Davis, Perrine Knight, Kathy O'Leary, Frances Richards, and Mike Miller have shown their support and given help and encouragement in a myriad of ways. Thank you all for believing in the mission and vision of SWWAN. And Mary Cilia, fellow NAWBO member and president of MEC Systems, was a great support when SWWAN was in its infancy--thanks, Mary.

And it so happens that I had an opportunity to thank one of these very important people in person at our Chicago event--and I screwed it up. So Beatrice Davis, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind and generous support. Without your encouragement, Single Working Women's Week might never have happened. You were there when the chips were down and the to-do list looked hopelessly unachievable. Without your sharing of your professional expertise and the great people you know, our event would not have been as successful as it was. Thank you for even getting your client Geir Ness to donate samples of his delightful perfumes from Norway, Laila. Belatedly, on behalf of me personally and of single working women everywhere, thank you.

Please visit Beatrice's cool online magazine, No Strings Attached ENews, and prepare to be entertained!

Single women: reach out and give without asking back

Give with your whole heart. Don't ask for a return. Connect with each other--for business, for all the things we need in life.

That's what celebrants at last night's opening event heard from keynote speaker Sharan Tash, owner of The ProNetworker, Inc., NAWBO Chicago director, NSA speaker, and creator of the "pay-it-forward, boomerang networking" concept. Sharan told of how giving from the heart without thought of return always comes back to you tenfold.

As a shining example of practice-what-you-preach, Sharan, SWWAN thanks you for inspiring attendees at this celebration of the first annual Single Working Women's Week holiday.

Hostess Monica Davis praised single women and single mothers for all they contribute. Thanks to all those who shared in this delightful evening, including sponsors Lynfred Winery and National City Bank. Special thanks to Rebecca Gutermuth, designer of the beautiful SWWAN jewelry line, who hosted the party at her lovely store, Radiance Fine Jewelry.

And special thanks to columnist and authoress Jacquee Thomas whose contributions made the event extra special. Passionate speaking, wine, food, violins, and sharing. It was a beautiful event. For a copy of the event's program, click here. Photos will be posted as soon as we can get them up!

If you live in Cleveland, please join us for our Cleveland SWWAN party TOMORROW!

Botswana invites women to join forces in business

Hey, I like this idea! In Botswana they're having a conference to talk about a "cluster model" as a way to help women/sole proprietors combine forces (and resources) to be able to more effectively conquer their unique business challenges:

• lack of entrepreneurial skills


• lack of working capital


• lack of capacity to deliver large orders


• lack of promotional strategies, and


• lack of specialized machinery

all of which can result in

• poor quality products


• uncompetitive pricing


• poor customer service

True for so many women struggling alone to start a business. A representative of the Botswana government talks about the benefits of the cluster approach... "Women entrepreneurs are grouping nowadays but the way they do it is not systematic. The model will assist them to work as business entities as it advocates for separation of functions according to design and marketing as well as production entities." The structure and discipline of the model will include economies of scale through specialization and improved systems.

Wow. Many single working women entrepreneur-wannabes could use some of that over in the U.S., too. The key over there is that the government is providing the model and the access and the assistance with locating the businesses. Some places in the U.S. have education for women fledgling business owners (Chicago's Women's Business Development Center is very good at this). Ladies Who Launch is a private group that works towards the online/community/incubator model.

All I can say is, "More!"

Note: The Republic of Botswana's tagline is inspiring: Democracy, Development, Self-reliance and Unity. Cool.

Single working women and single working men - a play about a story

Went to a wonderful play reading today at Chicago Her-Rah, a festival put on by The International Centre for Women Playwrights--3 days of readings held in this wild little venue on North Avenue in Chicago called Around the Coyote.

Heard about this through a new acquaintance whose friend's was one of the plays being read--a sparkling depiction of the New-York-intellectual-neurotic malfunctioning male/female dynamic that captured the essence of what's going on between so many men and women today. Depressing kind of, full of angst but also tenderness and lots of humor... Read with only a commentator, no scenery, lights or anything, it was "Manhattan Cassanova" and it was mesmerizing. Remember the playwright's name: Jenny Lyn Bader.

The festival is a once-a-year event that honors female playwrights everywhere. Wish I'd had time to see a few more. Next year it's in Roumania. Read more on their website www.internationalwomenplaywrights.org.

Surprise! Retirement dreams fading

Whether it's because the baby boomers are all so passionate about contributing to the world--which I suspect is true about lots of us--and/or the fact is that incomes/savings are simply not adding up to "comfortable retirement" sums, the age at which people first retire is fading into the distance. Here's the scoop from the NAWBO Smart Brief:

The retirement age for U.S. workers is edging up after falling for 100 years. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 29% of people in their late 60s still have jobs, up from 18% in the mid-1980s. More than 25% of baby boomers plan to never retire, according to a recent survey by the National Association of Realtors.

For many single women this isn't a surprise. Making 70% of a what a man makes for the same work over a lifetime--and having to pay for so many services that many two-earner households either accomplish on their own or have two incomes from which to pay--cuts pretty seriously into what's left to put away for savings and retirement. Combine that with the virtual disappearance from many companies of retirement plans and what used to be callled "loyalty" to long-time devoted employees, and you've got a vivid picture of people working til old age. As Oprah once said to the financial expert on her After the Show who said people will be working into their eighties, "What're they gonna be doing? 'You want fries with that?'"

But since so many single working women have been using their passion and creativity all along to survive and thrive alone against the odds, these longer working years will feel like just another "day in the life."

Hmmm. Let's see, I can apply for 50% of my Social Security benefits when I'm 62 and all of it when I'm 66. Check out your eligibility here.

on Motherhood on National Review Online

They say if you focus on negative things in your writing you're either a pessimist, a realist or a journalist. Jennifer A. Marshall must be one of those. Her article called "Single on Mother's Day" is a downer.

SWWAN is all about bringing the day closer when single women won't be required or even inclined to feel depressed about being single on any holiday.

Starting with our new holiday!! Single Working Women's Week - first annual is this year, July 29 to August 4, 2007.

Go with the flow...and meet AtMP

How do you balance your time when you're trying to deliver the services you offer, keep up your marketing programs, continue to network, start a new organization (including people, websites, sponsors, etc. etc.), get in your usual single-handed household/car/pet chores, keep up your exercise, and enjoy the spring weather?

Can it be done? Well, probably some things don't get as much attention as you'd like. And maybe, like me, your choice of what's going to get the most today is randomly determined. But if you're like me on this, too, a beautiful spring day makes all things seem possible and you figure what you miss today you'll get done another.

Was delighted this past weekend to meet a bunch of members of what will soon become a sister organization to SWWAN -- the Alternatives to Marriage Project (AtMP). Their website is www.unmarried.org and that alone can tell you why we feel a good fit! They are committed to political action to change the unfavorable status of single people/couples under the law. Stay tuned as we develop our relationship...

African sons respecting their single moms

Can you imagine a grownup son deciding to change his name to include his mother's instead of his father's? Seems it's happening with some regularity in Kenya, according to this article, which also talks about neurosurgeon Ben Carson's book "Raising Boys Without Men," applauding the single "maverick moms" who help their sons grow up to be good men who also have an appreciation for feelings.

Apparently to use a feminine surname in Africa is highly unusual (in the U.S. our surnames don't denote gender) and invites ridicule from others. Yet more young sons of single moms are choosing to do it anyway because of the deep respect they have for what their mothers went through to raise them.

It's great to hear this. After watching a documentary last night about the 50 years that Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton spent trying to win the vote for women--and a few other rights like abolition, and the right of married women to own property--it makes me feel that it might be easier for men to appreciate women and be willing to grant them respect and equality if the economic distance between them isn't so wide as it is in a lot of the U.S.

Perhaps there's some of the class war about women's equality...much as racism can be viewed in that way.

Poverty is bad--but we have options

Found some stats about unequal women's pay at this student labor website. Fortunately, many single working women are now very successful financially, but when you think about the implications of these facts for a lot of other single women, you can see how far we have yet to go.

Significant: "If married women were paid the same as men in comparable jobs, their family incomes would rise by nearly 6 percent, and their families' poverty rates would fall from 2.1 percent to 0.8 percent."

Even more significant: "If single women earned as much as men in comparable jobs, their incomes would rise by 13.4 percent and their poverty rates would be reduced from 6.3 percent to 1 percent. And if single working mothers earned as much as men in comparable jobs, their family incomes would increase by nearly 17 percent and their poverty rates would be cut in half, from 25.3 percent to 12.6 percent."

I don't love statistics. They can be jimmied around to "prove" pretty much anything you want. But they can still give us some guidance on what we should be shooting for. The fact is that more and more people are remaining single--doesn't look like that trend is changing any time soon--and that 40% of births in the U.S. today are to single mainly-adult women (not teenagers).

So it appears that the simple move of paying men and women equally for the same work could quickly and dramatically change the landscape for hundreds of thousands of our children...both today and in the future...without having to think up or do anything else. And how would businesses adjust? The same way they have always done to "impossible" increases in the minimum wage.

Be inspired by how the Grameen Foundation is empowering people--and attacking poverty at its roots. These are the folks that SWWAN will be contributing a portion of its revenues to.

Now if we want to talk about saving businesses money, let's talk about health care costs.