The current congressional debate over financial regulatory reform is important to all consumers, but especially unmarried women since they are among the hardest hit by the deception, usury and other predatory lending practices that were a key part of the recent credit crisis.

The most important proposal for unmarried women is the creation of a federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would aim to prevent predatory lending and the targeting of vulnerable borrowers, among them unmarried women, by overseeing banking and other financial products sold to consumers.

What else can be done?

By 2030, Latino children will make up half of the U.S. child population living in poverty.

Today, more than one-fourth of Latino children live in poverty. Three-fifths live in low-income families. More than one-fourth of Latino four-year-olds are not enrolled in early childhood education programs. Almost one-fifth have difficulty speaking English. One in five does not have health insurance. About two out of every five teens and preteens are obese or overweight. Only 55% graduate from high school. And Latino youth are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system and adult jails.

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"Two separate studies in 2007 by McKinsey and Catalyst, both business research firms, showed that the companies in Europe and the United States with the most women on their boards were more profitable than others. The studies did not point to specific causes for any such correlation."

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A revised formula for calculating medical costs and geographic variations show that approximately 47.4 million Americans last year lived in poverty, 7 million more than the government's official figure.

What does this mean?

"Someone who uses violence will use it in an economic windfall, too," said Woldeguiorguis, policy and systems advocacy director at Jane Doe Inc., a Boston-based group that works to reduce domestic violence.

This has led to an escalation in the severity and frequency of domestic violence among immigrant women.

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African-Americans have higher rates of infant mortality, are at higher risk for certain kinds of cancer and are more likely to die because of the lack of care or treatment than whites. We are also more like to become infected with HIV/AIDS or other infectious diseases.

So, what should be done?

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Since the Southern Rural Black Women's Initiative was formed in 2000, its goal has been to empower and educate rural black women with the hopes of improving their economic and social conditions.

Tania Burger, the Southern Rural Black Women's Hall of Fame's communications and development coordinator said, "The idea is to, one, honor women who wouldn't normally be honored for their contributions. The second thing is to lift them up as role models for young women. This helps lift people's spirits, instills pride in the African-American culture and provides role models for young people today."

The Honorees

Women are becoming more outraged  as stories emerge of companies refusing to cover maternity benefits and denying coverage because of past domestic violence or cesarean sections.

America's Health Insurance Plans, the industry's national association, proposed ending gender-rating and the practice of rejecting customers based on pre-existing conditions. In exchange, insurance companies want powerful legislation that would compel everyone to buy insurance.

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The World Health Organization says one in three women around the world will experience some form of violence in their lifetime.

On September 13th, the United Nations Security Council approved a third resolution against sexual violence in armed conflicts. Secretary Clinton said the new resolution aims to give the United Nations and its members new tools to prevent violence and punish those responsible.

Human rights groups want Congress to pass a measure called the International Violence Against Women Act. It would finance a five-year program to pay for health care and other services for victims. It would also provide training for local police in preventing violence against women.

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"While women have historically had little power or recognition as respected political minds, scholars, artists and thinkers, what is radically evident is the fearless headway, power and grace females of all colors have brought to the table in a miniscule, but fierce span of time. We have finally been allowed to make our distinguished mark known, inspiring all women across the globe, never to be exiled again."

Did you know?  Women of color have started companies at three times the rate of other women in the past two decades.  Read More

Over the past few years, Kuwaiti women have enjoyed a few gender equity measures, including the ability vote for the first time in 2006. 

The Court officially declared the requirement of women having to obtaining permission from their husbands before being able to apply for passports directly violates the guarantees of freedom and gender equality in the Constitution.

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Countries with the worst statistics in the Global Hunger Index tend to have the greatest gender inequality.  Ironically, women are responsible for up to 80% of African food production.  The International Food Policy Research Institute concluded that gender equality equals food security.

"The crises have significantly reduced purchasing power and income-earning opportunities for poor people, who spend up to 70 percent of their income on food," Klaus von Grebmer, the lead author of the report, said in the institute's statement.

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The recession is affecting communities of color more than white communities.

For example, in September 2009, the white unemployment rate reached a high of 9 percent. However, the African American unemployment rate was more than 70 percent higher-15.4 percent.

The economic crisis equates to job crisis, and there can be no stability until unemployment rates are in control.

However, these figures are more than just statistics. They are a reflection of individual struggles within our communities.

Senator Olympia J. Snowe had headlines as the only republican to vote yes to the Health Bill before Senate Finance Committee.

"To a searing degree, and more than most people I've known in politics, Olympia's personal story is at the core of how she goes about her work and her decisions," said a close friend, former Senator Warren B. Rudman, Republican of New Hampshire.

Her personal experiences helped to shape her view.

"Afghanistan was a patriarchal society long before the Taliban forced women to stay inside the home and banned girls from attending school. While the removal of these strictures has given women more opportunities on paper, those choices often aren't available in villages and towns where it is common for a man to settle a debt by giving a sister in marriage and where female rape victims risk their lives by speaking out."

How much will this legislation help Afghani women?

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A Commonwealth Fund study released last May found that about 52 percent of working-age women, compared to 39 percent of working-age men, reported in 2007 that they had to forgo filling a prescription, seeing a specialist, obtaining a recommended medical test or seeing a doctor at all as a result of medical costs.

Young women typically must pay more than young men for individual health insurance, unless they live in one of 10 states where gender rating is illegal.

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In general, it is estimated that 19 percent of African-Americans and 30 percent of Latinos are without health insurance. And at the beginning of the recession in 2007 and through 2008, 40 percent of blacks reported being uninsured, compared to just 25 percent of whites.

There should also be funds and resources dedicated to improving the quality of hospitals, clinics and facilities in communities of color. Healthcare reform should not only be about the economics and cost of reform, but also about improving health outcomes and relieving disparities across the board through improved hospitals and facilities.

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