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Living Wage
The living wage movement has arisen in an economic climate where poverty is rising, real wages are stagnating or declining, and the minimum wage has lost its meaning. In brief, a living wage is a wage that allows wage earners to fully support themselves and their families on what they earn at one full-time job, without government assistance. At minimum, a living wage covers basic needs, such as housing, food, childcare, health care, and transportation, but in order to go beyond a mere “self-sufficiency” wage should allow for savings toward education and the purchase of durable goods, for the costs of medical emergencies, and for life responsibilities, such as taking care of aging relatives.
Reference: Self-Sufficiency Data for Delaware County, PA; prepared by the Women's Association for Women's Alternatives/Pathways PA http://www.womensassoc.org/ (PathWaysPA releases New 2006 Sufficiency Standard)
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