The Status of Women: The View from Baltimore

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The Status of Women The View from Baltimore

• Amy Caiazza, Ph.D.
• Institute for Womens Policy Research

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The Status of Women in the States project

• Provides citizens, policymakers, and other
  leaders with reliable data on the progress of
  women relative to women in other states, to men,
  and to the nation.
• Creates tools and build capacity to address needs
  and disparities around the country and to make
  policy change

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Project History

• 51 state reports, 5 national reports, 1996-2005
• Specialized, commissioned reports in Illinois,
  Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin
• Topical reports on educational attainment,
  economic status, and preschool access
• The Status of Women in Your County A Community
  Research Tool
• Currently preparing strategic plan for next phase
  of research

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Methods

• Large national data sources with state by state
  data
• Composite indices provide overall assessment of
  womens status in each topic area
• Rank states from 1 to 51 (including DC)
• Grade states from A to F
• Participatory research model

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Marylands Ranks and Grades, 2004

• Rank Grade
• Political Participation 11 C
• Employment and Earnings 2 B
• Social/Econ. Autonomy 1 B
• Reproductive Rights 9 B
• Health and Well-Being 31 C

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Where have women in Maryland seen the most
progress?
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Women in Maryland work in good jobs

• 41 of women work in professional and managerial
  positions, compared with 33 nationally
• Maryland ranks 2nd nationally

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Women in Maryland have more wage equity

• In 2003, women in Maryland earned 81 cents for
  every dollar men earned, for full-time, full-year
  work
• Nationally, women earned 76 cents compared with
  men
• Maryland ranks 3rd nationally

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Women in Maryland are less likely to be poor

• Less than 8 of women in Maryland were poor in
  2003, compared with 12 nationally
• Maryland ranks 2nd nationally

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Women in Maryland are highly educated

• About 30 of women in Maryland have a college
  degree, compared with 22 nationally
• Maryland ranks 4th nationally

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Women have relatively good political
representation

• Maryland ranks 12th for womens representation in
  elected office
• More than a third (36) of the state legislature
  is women, the highest proportion in the country
• Sen. Barbara Mikulski is one of only 14 women
  U.S. Senators

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What are areas of persistent or growing concern
for women?
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There are large disparities in wage equity in the
Baltimore region

• County/City Wage Ratio
• (1999)
• Baltimore City 81
• Baltimore County 71
• Anne Arundel County 69
• Howard County 64
• Harford County 62
• Carroll County 58

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Poverty rates also vary widely

• County/City Womens Poverty
• (2000)
• Carroll County 4
• Howard County 4
• Anne Arundel County 6
• Harford County 6
• Baltimore County 7
• Baltimore City 24

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And there are large differences in educational
attainment

• County/City Women with College
• Degrees (2000)
• Howard County 56
• Anne Arundel County 35
• Baltimore County 35
• Harford County 33
• Carroll County 31
• Baltimore City 23

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Womens health remains a problem for Maryland

• Maryland ranks 31st among the states for womens
  health
• The state has the 3rd-highest incidence of
  HIV/AIDS
• Maryland is also among the worst states for
  womens death rates by heart disease and breast
  cancer

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Maryland still needs more women in elected office

• Maryland has no women currently serving in the
  U.S. House of Representatives
• There are no women in the states top elected
  executive positions
• Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lt. Governor,
  is the only women to have served in this type of
  office

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Where are the opportunities for the most impact?
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Confront challenges to awareness

• Lack of good information and sustained, concerted
  ways to provide it on many aspects of womens
  status
• General misunderstanding that women have achieved
  equity and continuing backlash against feminists
• 100 years to gender equity in politics
• 50 years to gender equity in pay

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Work for more and better data

• Produce ongoing reports on womens status
  regionally
• Promote requirements that state agencies collect
  and analyze data by gender
• Explore the causes and potential remedies for
  regional disparities
• Promote efforts to produce data on unexplored
  areas of womens lives

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Mens and Womens EarningsOver 15 Years

• Women Men
• 273,592 722,693
• Source Still a Mans Labor Market The
  Long-Term Earnings Gap, Rose and Hartmann, 2004

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Raise awareness through communications and
network building

• Design and convene conferences, community forums,
  and town meetings
• Work with community organizations active in
  economic development, education, and other issues
  to provide a womens lens

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For more information

• Amy Caiazza
• caiazza_at_iwpr.org
• 202/785-5100
• www.iwpr.org/states