Celebrating Month

By Jennie Renner

The 19th amendment to the Constitution, which grants women the right to vote, was first introduced in 1878. After a lengthy battle, and decades of protests, the amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, but not ratified until August 18, 1920, and certified on August 26, 1920.

In 1971, in commemoration of this event, Congress declared August 26 as Women’s Equality Day. Today, 103 years after winning the right to vote, women are still struggling to find equality in other realms.

According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research 2015 Status of Women in the States report, Indiana ranked in the bottom third in the country on women’s and girl’s matters. When the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne wanted more data on the subject, they had difficulty finding it, so they commissioned the 2020 Allen County Women & Girls Study.

After the 2020 study, community leaders recognized the need for an entity devoted to solutions for the issues facing women and girls and the Women’s Fund was created. On March 15, 2023, the Women’s Fund of Greater Fort Wayne (WFGFW) released the first Allen County Women in the Workplace Report.

Women’s Fund Director Cassie Beer said having the report is crucial to making progress. “We can’t measure growth if we don’t know where we’re coming from,” she said.

Key findings from the report showed that women’s median earnings are $15,590 less than men’s. The report also revealed that 23 percent of women don’t have paid time off, and less than half of Fort Wayne employers offer benefits and policies that promote equitable workplaces for women, such as flex time, paid family leave, and family care flexibility.

“It’s important to keep benefits and policies in mind when we talk about equal pay,” said Beer. “How does an employer not just ensure they are providing fair wages, but also designing benefits and policies that support caregiving, retirement planning, and other aspects of employment?”

On the political side of women’s equality, a nonpartisan organization called AVOW, Advancing Voices Of Women, seeks to amplify women in the public sector. Following the 2016 presidential election, Marilyn Moran-Townsend, Rachel Tobin-Smith, Patti Hays, and Faith Van Gilder created the local organization to improve the level of civility in public conversations by involving more women.

AVOW focuses on four pillars to accomplish their mission. One of these pillars, the Women’s Campaign Institute, is an annual threeday “boot camp” to train women how to run for political office, volunteer for a campaign or serve on an appointed board or commission. (This year’s Institute is August 4 through 6 at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne.)

Although Fort Wayne and Allen County public offices are still male dominated, AVOW co-founder Faith Van Gilder said they are slowly becoming more diverse. One place she finds evidence of this is on the Fort Wayne City Council where two Black women are currently serving.

“Since 2017, more than 60 women have graduated from the AVOW Campaign Institute,” she said. “All the women who are running for office in the Fort Wayne municipal election on November 7 are either alumni or faculty of the Women’s Campaign Institute.” a To learn more, visit womensfundfw.org and avowfw.com.

Here are some actions you can take to celebrate and support Women’s Equality Day on August 26:

• Share the WFGFW Women in the Workplace report

• Encourage your employer to participate in the WFGFW “Compass Survey” launching August 15

• Invite your employer to participate in the WFGFW Employer Roundtables: August 18 - healthcare; September 22 - manufacturing

• Advocate for pay transparency policies and for salaries to be listed on all job postings

• Write a letter to the editor speaking up on an issue you are concerned about a

By Cathy Shouse

As the tail end of summer approaches, there is still time to dig into a good book. These Indiana authors are ready to entertain you.