A REPORT BY THE CALIFORNIA BUDGET PROJECT
AND THE WOMEN'S FOUNDATION OF CALIFORNIA SHOWED
THAT WOMEN HAVE NOT SHARED EQUALLY IN CALIFORNIA'S
ON GOING ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
MY GUESTS ARE BOTH FOUNDERS OF WIFE, THE WOMEN'S
INSTITUTE FOR FINANCIAL EDUCATION IN SAN DIEGO.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
OVERALL, ARE WOMEN MORE FINANCIALLY EMPOWERED
NOW THAN THEY WERE SAY A DECADE OR TWO AGO?
>> >>: WE STARTED WIFEORG 25 YEARS AGO, WOMEN
WERE WORKING IN THE WORK PLACE MORE AND MORE,
NOT LIKE THEY ARE TODAY.
BUT THEY WERE BRINGING HOME THE BACON, BUT
NOT KNOWING HOW TO FRY IT UP IN THE PAN.
THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED WAS TO EDUCATE WOMEN
ON THE FINANCES.
SO THAT THEY COULD MEET THEIR IMPORTANT GOALS.
>> >>: CANDACE, THIS CALIFORNIA BUDGET PROJECT
FOUND OUT OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS MEN HAVE
STRONGER GAINS IN EMPLOYMENT AND RECOVERING
FROM THIS RECESSION THAN WOMEN.
WHAT IS THAT ABOUT, DO YOU THINK?
>> >>: THAT'S TRUE, WITH REGARD TO THE SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME THEY TOOK A LOOK AT.
IF YOU LOOK AT A BROADER STATISTIC, IN FACT
78% OF THE JOBS LOST WERE LOST BY MEN.
SO THEIR DOWN TURN WENT DOWN FURTHER THAN
WOMEN SO THEIR BOUNCE IS ACTUALLY A LITTLE
BIT HIGHER.
>> >>: IS THAT SORT OF THE CASE.
THE REPORT ALSO FOUND WOMEN'S MEDIAN ANNUAL
EARNINGS HAD DROPPED ABOUT 2,000 DOLLARS SINCE
2006.
THIS WAS BEFORE THE RECESSION, FROM ABOUT
33,000 DOWN TO ABOUT 31,000.
IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A WHOLE LOT EXCEPT IT'S
ACTUALLY DROPPED.
IS THAT A TREND YOU'RE SEEING?
>> >>: IT WAS A TREND AGAIN WITH REGARD TO
WHAT HAPPENS PRETTY MUCH TO EVERYBODY DURING
THIS DOWN TURN.
WOMEN HAVE HAD MORE DIFFICULTY IN FACT GETTING
BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE, BUT WE'RE BEGINNING
TO SEE THINGS TO IMPROVE, AT LEAST IN THE
SAN DIEGO AREA.
>> >>: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS THAT YOU
HAVE FOUND WOMEN WERE AFFECTED, SPECIFICALLY,
BY THIS 2008 RECESSION?
>> >>: ONE WAY THAT WOMEN WERE AFFECTED BY
THE 2008 RECESSION IS BY GOING BACK TO WORK
WHEN THEY COULD, WHEN THEIR HUSBANDS IN CONSTRUCTION
OR MANUFACTURING LOST THEIR JOBS, WOMEN STARTED
BACK INTO THE WORK FORCE.
ACTUALLY, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE RECESSION,
WOMEN'S MEDIAN INCOME WAS GOING UP A LITTLE
BIT BECAUSE THEY WERE PERHAPS WORKING FULL
TIME RATHER THAN PART TIME.
BUT MANY WOMEN, ABOUT HALF OF THEM, ARE ACTUALLY
SINGLE MOMS AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS VERY
OFTEN MOVED IN WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
THEY'VE GONE IN WITH FRIENDS, AND STARTED
LIVING IN MORE GROUP CARE TYPES OF PLACES.
>> >>: I WANT TO GET TO SOMETHING THAT'S SPECIFIC
ARE YOUR ORGANIZATION, WIFE.
YOU HOLD A WORK SHOPÊ A ONE DAY WORK SHOP
AT MIRA COSTA COLLEGE TO EDUCATE DIVORCED
WOMEN ABOUT THEIR FINANCES.
HIT SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THAT PROGRAM.
>> >>: SECOND SATURDAY WHAT WOMEN NEED TO
KNOW ABOUT DOO DIVORCE IS MOST OF THE PEOPLE
ATTENDING ARE JUST THINKING OF DIVORCE, THE
REST ARE SOME PLACE IN THE PROCESS.
SO THAT'S A GOOD TIME TO GET EDUCATION IS
WHEN YOU'RE JUST THINKING ABOUT DIVORCE.
WE TEACH THEM ABOUT THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS
OF DIVORCE, THE LEGAL ASPECTS, THE EMOTIONAL
ASPECTS, AND FRANKLY, MANY OF THOSE WOMEN
GO HOME SAYING I THINK I'LL WORK ON MY MARRIAGE.
THIS LOOKS LIKE A WHOLE OTHER SET OF PROBLEMS
RATHER THAN A SOLUTION.
>> >>: COSTLY.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO THIS PROGRAM YOUR WIFE
PROGRAM, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE GONE THROUGH
THIS?
AND YOU'RE ACTUALLY BRANCHING OUT BESIDES
SAN DIEGO.
>> >>: WE'VE HAD OVER 8,000 WOMEN GO THROUGH
THE PROGRAM ONLY ON A LOCAL BASIS AND WE NOW
HAVE A MEN'S PROGRAM AT MIRA COSTA COLLEGE,
AS WELL AS A PARENTING PROGRAM FOR PARENTS
AFTER DIVORCE.
WE NOW HAVE THE PROGRAM IN 40 OTHER CITIES
AROUND THE COUNTRY.
>> >>: PEOPLE ARE OBVIOUSLY QUITE INTERESTED
IN THIS.
IS THIS BECAUSE OF THE FINANCES, DO YOU THINK?
>> >>: IT'S BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY DIVORCE
IS A FACT OF LIFE FOR 50% OF THE PEOPLE.
AND IT CAN BE A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FINANCIAL
TRANSITION.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK DIVORCE IS ABOUT THE
LEGAL.
FRANKLY, IT'S ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND
FINANCIAL, MORE SO, AND THE LEGAL IS THE WAY
TO UNTIE THE KNOT.
HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUES
ARE, AND HELPING THEM THROUGH IT, REALLY WILL
HELP THEM ULTIMATELY TO LEAD A MORE CONSTRUCTIVE
AND HEALTHFUL LIFE AFTER DIVORCE.
>> >>: WE ARE OUT OF TIME.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH US AND
I WANT TO LET FOLKS AT HOME KNOW THEY CAN
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WIFE, AND ABOUT WOMEN'S
FINANCES AT KPBS.ORG.
>> >>: THANK YOU.
>> >>: THANK YOU.
