Status of Women in NE Wisconsin 2017

Women’s Funds Release Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin Report

The Fond du Lac Area Women’s Fund, the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region, the Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay and the Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation have collaborated to release an updated Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin Report this week.

The Women’s Funds first released the Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin Report in 2011. Using data compiled in partnership with the Wisconsin Women’s Council for Brown, Fond du Lac, Outagamie and Winnebago counties, as well as the state of Wisconsin, the report is intended to help inform local communities about the realities experienced by women and girls. The 2017 report gives a current and comprehensive picture of the most pressing issues for women and girls in Northeast Wisconsin.

Key findings from the report include:

  • Poverty rates are higher for women than men, across all age groups, and older women are twice as likely as older men to be in poverty.
  • Regionally, the wage gap ranges from 72 cents on the dollar on average for women in Fond du Lac County to 78 cents in Brown County.
  • In Northeast Wisconsin, 27% of business are women-owned, up from 24% in 2007 but still below the statewide percentage of 31%.
  • One out of five women in the region has some college experience, but has not completed a degree.
  • Almost half of all single-mother households with minor children received FoodShare benefits in 2015—nearly twice the rate for single-father families and more than four times the rate for married-couple families.
  • The teen birth rate in Northeast Wisconsin continues a steady decline, following the statewide trend.
  • Women in our region have fewer poor physical or mental health days than in the past.

“The Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin Report confirms that despite many successes, much work needs to be done to help women and girls reach their full potential,” said Christine Lidbury, executive director of the Wisconsin Women’s Council. “I applaud these local funds for their collaboration toward that goal.”

The Wisconsin Women’s Council gathered the most current statistics for the Women’s Funds in Northeast Wisconsin. The 15-member council is appointed by the governor and legislative leaders to help find ways to improve the status of women in Wisconsin.

The Report on the Status of Women in Northeast Wisconsin is produced as a series of fact sheets that analyze data related to 12 key indicators of the status of women in our region.

To view the reports please click on the links below.

Women’s Fund contact information:

  • Lori Namur, Executive DirectorFond du Lac Area Women’s Fund, fdlawomensfund@gmail.com
  • Becky Boulanger, Executive Director, Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region, bboulanger@womensfundfvr.com
  • Susan Baranczyk, Advisory Board President, Women’s Fund of Greater Green Bay, womensfundgb@ggbcf.org
  • Karlene Grabner, Executive Director, Women’s Fund of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, karlene@oshkoshareacf.org  

Posted on June 20, 2017

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