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There is an untapped work force in Oklahoma of women between the ages of 55 and 62, according to a report released by the Governor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women.
"These are the women who fall through the cracks. They are too young to receive Social Security and Medicare, and they face enormous difficulties in the job market," said Hannah Atkins, assistant director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Division of Services for the Aging.
"I am especially concerned about these women. We need to do more to help them get job training," Atkins said.
The report, entitled "Aging W.O.M.E.N. - Women of Many Economic Needs," was Atkins' brainchild. She encouraged the Governor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women to study the needs of Oklahoma's older women. The report summarized testimony from older women at public hearings conducted throughout Oklahoma last year.
The state provides some job training through the Displaced Homemakers Program, which is part of the vocational-technical school system.
The Displaced Homemakers Program should be expanded to all areas of the state to provide employment training and support services, such as transportation, for women in their forties, fifties and older, who have lost their primary sources of income, the report said.
Many of these women are pushed into the job market - for the first time ever or for the first time in 25 years - after being widowed or divorced, Atkins said.
They lose health care benefits and pension rights when their marital status changes, Atkins said.
"They are on the brink of financial disaster," the report said.
The "Catch 22" is: How does a woman get a job to support herself without recent, paid work experience?
Special emphasis should be given to helping unemployed women who are heads of households or single women living alone, Atkins said.
Beverly Horse, coordinator of the Displaced Homemakers Program in Lawton, said:
"Age discrimination is a very real barrier. Many times employers tend to lean toward hiring the younger person."
State Rep. Freddye Williams, D-Oklahoma City, said:
"We need to tap into the job market more to find out where the demand is, so we can give these...