Young women have both age and gender working against them. If you're a young woman of color you can expect the racist and sexist edge to be even sharper. Young immigrant women have the worst working conditions yet. According to the 2000 census there are over 12 million families where a woman is the single head of household. Thirty percent of those families live below the poverty level.
Welfare reform is on the top of the list to target women of color.
Welfare as it stands is biased against young women of color - with workfare, time limits, denial of education credits, low wage service jobs, and no health insurance. The right wing will dismantle the existing safety net for young mothers. We must demand reinstatement of entitlement status for social welfare programs and remove timelines and sanctions. At the same time, the right wing is dismantling what is left of the existing safety net for young mothers. The welfare rights movement, which has a substantial number of young mothers, is hitting the streets fighting for their lives and demanding reinstatement of entitlement status for social welfare programs and the removal of timelines and sanctions.