Status of Women & Girls
Research ProjectResearch Report
Today in Genesee County, many women and girls find it hard to achieve their full potential because they are struggling to meet their most basic needs. In order to present a framework to examine these unmet needs, the Flint Women and Girls Fund initiated a research report entitled "
The Status of Women and Girls in Genesee County."
This report focuses on three primary areas affecting women and girls in Genesee County: economic security, health and well-being, and education.
Highlights of the data seem to paint a daunting picture. With unemployment hovering at 14% in Genesee County, nearly five percentage points higher than the national average, poverty is a difficult reality for many families. U.S. Census Bureau data show that 23% of children under the age of 18 in the county live below the poverty line.
With the loss of jobs also comes a lack of access to health care. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that nationally, about 40% of women in fair or poor health did not fill a prescription in the last year because they could not afford it. Poor education and limited opportunities for advancement compound the situation, making it difficult for women to find their way out of the labyrinth of poverty. The Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) scores for Genesee County in 2008 showed only 34% of girls were proficient in science, possibly limiting access to higher paying technical jobs in the future.
Throughout the report we hear the
voices of women in Genesee County who are struggling with the challenges of every day life. Their stories are ones of resilience and hope for a brighter future. Please note that the names have been changed to maintain confidentiality. While we encourage the sharing of these narratives, they are not subject to editing and must be used in their entirety.
Over the next few years the Flint Women and Girls Fund Advisory Committee will engage others in addressing the issues affecting women and girls in Genesee County. We hope this report will be a valuable tool for:
- Initiating discussions and collaborations among decision makers in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to address the needs of women and girls
- Inspiring women throughout Genesee County to support philanthropic investments in the lives of area women and girls
- Informing the grantmaking, planning and leadership efforts of the Flint Women and Girls Fund so that our work is strategic and measurable.