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.