The Issue of Domestic Violence

By Regina F. Lark

Part of the problem lies in a woman's inability to escape her abuser. The limited number of shelters is compounded by the feminization of poverty. While federal policies are drastically re-arranging our system of welfare and social benefits for poor and low income women, California can make an important impact to prevent the increasing feminization of poverty which condemns women, girls, and children to be the overwhelming majority of poor people. When a woman chooses to leave her abuser, she becomes one of the millions of women heading single parent households. Child and spousal support is not forthcoming and the cycle of poverty comes into play.

California, through its treasury investments and pension funds (Cal PERS and Cal STRS), can take a pro-active role in demanding that the corporations it invests in adopt policies substantially similar to the National Organization for WOmen's "Women Friendly Workplace" policies and should specifically seek to break the glass ceiling, thereby allowing women greater access to higher paying jobs. If more women felt that they could adequately support their families they would have greater freedom to leave their abusers.

California should also maximize efforts to promote child support collections. To do this, the state should make investigative costs to locate non-custodial parents whose non-support cases have been written off by California counties fully recoverable. The state should also make the listing and files of written-off noncustodial cases accessible to attorneys and licensed private investigators doing pro bono work for abused women, and to enlist the input of the private sector collectors and investigators to correct the thoroughly incompetent way that some California counties have organized collection efforts.

In addition, since California is currently enjoying a $4 billion dollar surplus in its fiscal reserve, it is incumbent upon our legislators to see that shelters and health care services for abused women and their children are built and maintained to ensure the safety of those who live there.