December 2003

IWPR’s Research News Reporter is distributed monthly to highlight informative, innovative, and sometimes controversial research relating to women and their families. Each selection includes a short description of the research and either a link to the report itself or a citation. We sometimes include short pieces in their entirety.

In this edition:

1.       Teen Parents and Abstinence Education Research Findings: 2003
2.       State Fact Sheets on TANF
3.       Unmarried Women Could Change America’s Course if They’re Convinced to Register and Vote
4.       Afghan Women Fight for Citizenship
5.       Hunger, Homelessness Still on the Rise in Major U.S. Cities
6.       Good News for Women

1. Teen Parents and Abstinence Education Research Findings: 2003
December 18, 2003
Jodie Levin-Epstein
Center for Law and Social Policy

Policymakers, students, and practitioners will be able to make use of this informative research guide on teen parents—especially in relation to welfare programs—and abstinence education. The guide cites and summarizes a range of articles from academic journals and reports from governmental sources and public policy think tanks. The summaries are presented from a neutral standpoint, and the author identifies a broad range of perspectives and topics.

http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1071771436.37/TP_abst_research.pdf

2. State Fact Sheets on TANF
December 1, 2003
Coalition on Human Needs

The Coalition on Human Needs has compiled state fact sheets on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) that include the most recent state-level information about caseloads, work rates, state unemployment rates, and child care cuts. Each fact sheet includes recommendations for improving the Senate Finance Committee TANF bill to better meet the needs of individual states.

http://www.chn.org/issues/article.asp?Art=1917

3. Unmarried Women Could Change America’s Course if They’re Convinced to Register and Vote
December 16, 2003
Women’s Voices. Women Vote.

This release, from the new organization Women’s Voices. Women Vote. (www.wvwv.org) argues that unmarried women are the largest demographic group that under-registers and under-votes in the United States. Only 43 percent of registered unmarried women voted in the 2000 election, compared to 62 percent of registered married women. And only 42 percent of all unmarried women were even registered to vote. This is not an insignificant amount: unmarried women represent one-fifth of the total electorate. The research also finds that the primary reason that unmarried women don’t vote is a high level of disenchantment with the political system, but that unmarried women can be motivated by issues such as the cost of health care and the cost and availability of quality education.

http://www.wvwv.org/pressroom/launch.html

4. Afghan Women Fight for Citizenship
December 23, 2003
Jodi Edna
Women’s eNews

This month marks an important step in the development of the Afghan democracy as the loya jirga (grand council) convenes to adopt a new Constitution. Yet many activists within and outside of Afghanistan argue that the proposed constitution fails to guarantee basic rights of citizenship to women and girls. While the new Constitution guarantees women’s right to attend school, it refers to female heads of households as “women without caretakers” and will not protect women from Taliban-like abuses. Many also contest the exclusion of women from the leadership team at the Constitutional convention.

http://www.womensenews.com/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1652/context/archive

5. Hunger, Homelessness Still On the Rise in Major U.S. Cities
December 18, 2003
U.S. Conference of Mayors and Sodexco

This survey of 25 major U.S. cities finds that hunger and homelessness increased in the past year. In the cities surveyed, requests for emergency food assistance increased on average by 17 percent in 2003, and requests for emergency shelter assistance increased on average by 13 percent in 2003. Further, unemployment and employment-related problems were cited as the leading cause of hunger in 20 cities. In 23 out of 25 cities, the leading cause of homelessness was a lack of affordable housing.

http://www.usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/hunger_121803.asp

6. Good News for Women
December 24, 2003
Katha Pollitt
The Nation

Fitting for this reflective time, Katha Pollitt looks back and finds room for hope and celebration at the end of a long year. She honors the inspiration, activism, art, and strength of women like Jessica Lynch, Shirin Ebadi, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, Code Pink, and the Dixie Chicks.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040112&s=pollitt