June 2003

This report examines the economic well-being of low-income single parent families before and after the 1996 implementation of welfare reform. The authors find that, following welfare reform, welfare recipients are less likely to have health insurance and be in college. While more recipients are working, they are primarily employed in low-wage occupations. With the Senate poised to take up the issue of welfare reauthorization in the coming months, this report is especially critical.

http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/D454.pdf

2.  Making Sweatshops: The Globalization of the U.S. Apparel Industry
2002
University of California Press
Ellen Rosen

This book offers a historical analysis of sweatshops both in the United States and abroad. It focuses on U.S. policies that have contributed to the spread of sweatshops around the world. Rosen examines the plight of women workers, who make up the majority in the textile and apparel sweatshops, and hypothesizes on the effects that such work will have on poverty across the globe.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0520233379/qid=1057596370/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-1370045-8035200?v=glance&s=books

3. Gender and Economic Security in Retirement
June 2003
Institute for Women's Policy Research
Sunhwa Lee and Lois Shaw

This report explores the major sources of income, including Social Security, earnings, and pensions, for older American men and women. Older women, who generally live longer than men and are more likely to live alone, are more likely to live in poverty and rely more heavily on Social Security than older men. In fact, without Social Security, more than two-thirds of unmarried women living alone would fall into poverty.

http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/D456.pdf

4. The Paradox of Loyalty: An African-American Response to the War on Terrorism
2003
Third World Press
Julianne Malveaux and Reginna Green (editors)

This collection of essays examines the effects and aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks and the ensuing "War on Terrorism" from an African American perspective. Eighteen contributors, including academics, politicians, and other leaders, examine the causes of the attacks, the definition of "terrorism", the consequences of war, and the media following the attacks.

http://www.juliannemalveaux.com/

5. Global Sex Rules: The Price of Silence
Summer 2003
Ms. Magazine
Michele Kort

This article examines the consequences of the Bush administration's global gag rule on reproductive rights in terms of women's health, rights, and lives. The gag rule prevents non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive money from the U.S. Agency for International Development to even mention the word "abortion," even if they aren't using U.S. funds for the abortion services. This fascinating article documents the effect of U.S. policy on women, doctors, and NGOs across the world.

http://www.msmagazine.com/index.asp