During the launch of the latest Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, we asked #WhatWomenNeed to push back from the brink of financial insecurity and improve their lives, as well as the lives of their children and families who depend on them. Women – and men – shared their ideas on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the #WhatWomenNeed hashtag. Several women also wrote in to share their personal struggles. Here is one woman’s story.  → Read More

During the launch of the latest Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink, we asked #WhatWomenNeed to push back from the brink of financial insecurity and improve their lives, as well as the lives of their children and families who depend on them. Women – and men – shared their ideas on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook using the #WhatWomenNeed hashtag. Several women also wrote in to share their personal stories. Here is one woman’s story.  → Read More

Not long ago I was on my way into a subway station in Washington DC, right at the bottom of Capitol Hill. As I rode down the escalator, I noticed a small group huddled around a trash can in the corner of the entry. Between them was one of those Styrofoam to-go boxes, balanced precariously on the rim of the can. A young boy was eating from the tray, his eyes barely level with box, standing in the shadow of his mother, who was feeding an even smaller child in her arms. It didn’t take long to figure out why this little family was eating out of a single box standing around a trashcan, when there was a food court and tables and chairs inside. This mother was feeding her children with what she’d dug out of the garbage.  → Read More

In 2010, more than one in five U.S. children lived in poverty – substantially more than in most other wealthy countries. Poverty affects children in a variety of ways, including poor nutrition, housing, health and educational outcomes. No mother would choose poverty for her children – yet, too many cannot avoid poverty. The youngest children are also more likely to be poor: children under three are at the highest risk of living in poverty. This reflects that young children require care, which can be very difficult to balance with employment. At the same time, low-wage jobs often do not pay enough to support a family, and even many middle-class jobs do not afford parents the opportunities to pay for high quality childcare.  → Read More