Research Approach
A research-driven grant-maker, the Eleanor Foundation invests our resources in studies that inform our investments, as well as in others' efforts to advance working women and their families.
Malcolm Bush, Ph.D.
Malcolm Bush is a Senior Research Fellow at The University of Chicago's Chapin Hall. A highly respected economic development expert, he previously led the Woodstock Institute and its research and policy projects that informed community reinvestment strategies nationwide. His policy and research writings include Families in Distress: Public, Private, and Civic Responses, published by the University of California Press.
Startling Growth in Women-Led Households
Research has implications for service providers, policy
October 26, 2010
Since 2000, the number of women-led households in the Chicago region has grown at more than double the rate of growth of households generally. The total number of women-led households in the eight-county region earning between $10,000 and $50,000 climbed by 18.3% from 2000 to 2008, to 332,648.
More surprising, this growth in our target population has occurred almost entirely in the suburbs. And, in a finding that presents challenges to local governments and policymakers region-wide, these women-led households are worse off economically, despite the fact that single working female heads-of-households are working harder and have higher levels of educational achievement than ever before.
The Eleanor Foundation shared these and other key findings at an October 26 briefing on its new research report, Changing Conditions in a Changing World, presented at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago.
Our research, based on U.S. Census data, was conducted by Dr. Malcolm Bush from the University of Chicago's Chapin Hall. The briefing drew 95 policymakers, foundation executives, advocates and service providers interested in advancing women's economic security throughout the region.
"Our report shatters the assumption that the economic independence of low-income, single working women is an 'inner city' issue," said Rosanna A. Márquez, president of the Eleanor Foundation. "Building the region's capacity to offer an array of sustainable, accessible resources to help single mother-led households and other families threatened by poverty is essential to the continued economic health of communities throughout metropolitan Chicago."
Hard data shows women falling farther behind
Dr. Bush's research measured and compared the changing situation of working female heads-of-households earning between $10,000 and $50,000 in the Chicago region from 2000 to 2008. In the research report, it was clear that by 2008, the majority of these women were hard at work and independent.
The percentage of working female heads-of-households who were not in the labor force dropped from 25% to 15%. Of those who did work, almost four-fifths of them (79%) worked over 35 hours a week. Furthermore, only 6% were received any public assistance, demonstrating their self-reliance and commitment to supporting their families by themselves.
Another key finding was that the level of educational achievement of these women was higher. The percentage without a high-school degree fell to 18%, and the percentage of these women with a Bachelor's degree or higher rose to 13%.
Housing costs drive economic distress
Housing costs create by far the heaviest burden on our target population's household budgets. Fully 78% of female-headed households were "housing burdened" during the period reviewed by the study, which means these families spend more than 30% of their total annual income on housing. And 44% were "housing distressed," spending more than 50% of their total income on housing.
Responding to suburbanized poverty
Some participants at the Eleanor Foundation's research presentation at the Federal Reserve Bank deemed some of these results to be "devastating," and discussed ways to address these findings. Questions from attendees ranged from the implications for the state's budget to affordable housing issues to the region's service gaps. The Eleanor Foundation offered to share its findings and insights to help develop programs that would build the region's capacity to assist women seeking to achieve economic independence.
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