COMMUNIT Y
Moving Forward:
The Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls By Kelly Otte and Robin Hassler Thompson
I
n 2011, the Oasis Center for Women and Girls approached the Leon County Commission about creating a countywide commission focused on the welfare and well-being of our female residents. As result, the Leon County Commission then directed the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls (CSWG) to create communitywide discussions about issues of parity and opportunity. The CSWG is based on the belief that the current challenges that face the female citizens of Leon County must be understood in order to best equip women with the knowledge, skills and equal access to reach for the promise of tomorrow.
Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Leon County—2012
After countless hours of research, the report was completed in the fall of last year. It reflects a wealth of work and effort, with contributions from volunteer commissioners and members of the public who attended 115 meetings and donated more than 2,200 hours in research, writing, editing and production. 36 t a l l a h a s s e e
wo m a n
• F e b r u a r y /M a rc h 2013
Significant Findings
domestic violence-related and along with rape are underreported by at least 50 percent. Women and girls, particularly women and girls of color, lack access to health care, and African-American and Hispanic girls far outnumber those of Caucasian descent in the number of dropouts and expulsions. These findings and others are at the heart of the first-ofits-kind report.
When it comes to leadership roles, Leon County has never had a woman in the job of school superintendent and only 14 women have served on that board since 1965. Since 1978, when Leon County elected the first woman to the County Commission, only 7 women have held seats. For the City Commission, the number is the same— 7, since the first woman was elected in 1972.
Next Steps
Alarmingly, 58 percent of single women with children live in poverty. Also, violence against women remains an epidemic in Leon County: according to national surveys, 36 percent of all murders are
CSWG is a catalyst—a convener and a place where the issues important to women and girls can get a full hearing. Everyone is welcome to join the efforts of CSWG to make a difference for women and girls in
Significant findings highlight strides forward and harsh inequities in the areas of women’s and girls’ treatment in the justice system, education, economic security, health and leadership. Moreover, these issue areas are interrelated and fluid. For example, a woman who does not have good health care benefits at work suffers both in terms of her health and economically.
There is much work to be done. In 2013, CSWG will focus its work on solutions to address violence against women and girls, hosting an economic security summit, helping to build a coalition of programs and support for girls, strengthening data collection on key issues and finding ways to solidify and continue its work with additional funding.