Many single moms in poverty's grim vise

According to data from the 2000 U.S. Census and the foundation's report, titledImproving omic Self-Sufficiency: Current Status, Future Goals and Intervention Strategies Project.  The report, subject of an upcoming forum, says the financial burden falls disproportionately on minority women. Among African-American families living below the federal poverty line, 79 percent are headed by women. Among Hispanic families, it's 71 percent. That compares with 54 percent of all white families living in poverty.Those most at risk of having an inadequate wage are women who head their households, those who have less than a high school education and single mothers younger than 29, said Rosemary Mitchell, the foundation's executive director. The federal government defines the poverty level for a parent and two children as an annual household income below $15,000. But the report tried to focus on an inadequate wage, meaning how much the primary breadwinner needs to earn to cover expenses such as housing and child care, an amount that exceeds federal poverty levels. [more ]