empowering women, girls and their families to achieve equal opportunities in their personal and professional lives
Marilyn Reece, Civil Engineer
What do you do when you like math but don’t want to become a teacher? You could be a civil engineer, like Marilyn Reece.
She was the first woman to be a fully-licensed civil engineer in California and she’s featured in our May calendar of women trailblazers in science, tech, engineering and math.
Let’s kick off Monday with an awesome woman in STEM!
(via gender-and-science)
Source: californiastatelibrary
With workshops like “CSI New Haven,” “Hybrid Vehicle Demonstration,” and “Assessing Pain in Hospitalized Patients” (all pictured above), CWEALF’s STEM Expo at Gateway Community College on Friday was a success!
For those who do not know Equal Pay Day is an awareness day that occurs on a Tuesday in April every year to remind us of the Gender Wage Gap. Tuesday is selected purposefully because that is how many days in to the next week women have to work before they have earned the same amount their male counter parts received the previous Friday. Right now across our country women who have the same job, skills, education, duties, and hours as their male colleagues make on average 23 percent less money. Every time I write these blogs or go to events on this issue or that social problem I get the distinct feeling that the only group listening to the sermon is the choir. Women, many you already know about the wage gap, you are organizing yourselves, taking classes on negotiation, writing to your legislators (if you aren’t, start) because this is your paycheck that is short $377 dollars a week1. So this blog is not for the ladies, although of course ladies are encouraged to read, and then send, to husbands, bosses, brothers, sons, casual acquaintances.
MEN, THIS IS HOW THE WAGE GAP HURTS YOU!
1 Catalyst. Catalyst Quick Take: Women’s Earnings and Income. New York: Catalyst, 2013. http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/womens-earnings-and-income
2 Johnston, D. (2011, Oct 26). Underpaid women and their men. Reuters. Retrieved from http://blogs.reuters.com/david-cay-johnston/2011/10/26/underpaid-women-and-their-men/
3 Bassett, L. (2012, Oct 24). Closing the gender wage gap would create ‘huge’ economic stimulus, economists say. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/gender-wage-gap-economic-stimulus_n_2007588.html
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Blog written by Alessandra Burgett. Alessandra is a CWEALF intern and MSW student.
Contrary to the popular misconception welfare is not something people try to get so they can just sit home and be lazy. People want to work; most human beings have an innate desire to be useful contributors. The problem lies not with the individuals, but with the system. The pull yourself up by your bootstraps mentality is still deeply imbedded in our societal values and rhetoric even though the economic and interpersonal systems that made that possible have long since changed.
Part of this systemic change which was discussed at the Welfare Educational Forum that took place at the Legislative Office Building on Wednesday, February 13th is the concept of job mobility, and how it doesn’t exist anymore. In times gone by one could start out in a low-wage job and, through a combination of experience, seniority, and hard work, steadily climb the ladder to a position that at the very least offered you and your family some security and often afforded a modestly comfortable life. However this is no longer the case, a department president who fifty years ago began in his company of employment as a secretary or delivery person with no education or experience, will today not give that same position to an applicant with less than an associate’s degree and three years experience (not to mention the credit check, background check, and urinalysis).
Instead of simply cutting funding, under the ludicrous argument that if we give people enough help to keep them out of poverty they will never go to work again, why don’t we take steps to make sure people can work? One of the largest barriers to employment, experience by 23% of participants served by CTWorks, was lack of a high school diploma. Yet only 7.8% of these participants are enrolled in basic education services. Why you ask? Perhaps the answer lies in another fun fact from Wednesday’s forum; CT only spends 4% of its TANF block grant on training and education, as opposed to the national average of 10%. We need to take steps to reduce the welfare rolls by reducing need, not by altering eligibility requirements. Having events in which people can discuss these issues and exchange ideas on how to improve the system are vital.
Photo by UH Manoa Library, “Ad: A good, smart boy wanted for work” June 22, 2012. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic License.
Photo by dr.coop, “Rule of Thirds - Three Degrees” May 4, 2010. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- 2.0 Generic License.
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Written by Alessandra Burgett. Alessandra is a CWEALF intern and MSW student.
In the spirit of Pi day, did you know that some recent studies have addressed the myth of gender and math performance? Common myths tell the tale that girls just aren’t as good at math, but researchers suggest this just isn’t so. In reality, a more complex constellation of cultural factors may be at work.
Professors Kane and Mertz from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater comprehensively explored math performance among girls and boys. They tackled the “greater male variability hypothesis”, which states that math ability among males varies more widely (males at very high and very low ability) than math ability among females. In order to see if this hypothesis held weight, they gathered data from over 80 countries around the world and compared the variability of boys’ and girls’ math performance.
Results of their study showed that the variability of ability between genders varied by country. For example, Kane and Mertz indicated that, in Taiwan, eight grader boys’ score varied much more widely than did girls; yet they found that, in Morocco, boys and girls had equal experiences and patterns of school attendance) contribute to variability. In those countries in which women have a high labor force participation rate, and have a small gender wage gap, girls have the highest math scores.
“In summary, gender equity and other socio-cultural factors, nor national income, school type or religion per se, are the primary determinants of mathematics performance at all levels for both girls and boys”.
To read their research, see the American Mathematical Society
To learn more about CWEALF’s work with girls and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) go to our website
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Photo by Paul Smith (originally posted to Flickr as Pi pie) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
It’s Girl Scout cookie season! While you’re off ordering (or dreaming about the delivery of) those rich, decadent Thin Mints, let’s celebrate some of the other reasons why Girl Scouts of Connecticut (and nationwide) are awesome.
1. It’s sort of like the younger sister to CWEALF. If you’ve never been a Girl Scout, you might not know just how closely the organization’s mission lines up with Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund’s. Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s website (where all stats and facts used in this article can be found) talks all about how it aims to “builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” Sound familiar? If so, that’s probably because those young girls could easily become advocates for CWEALF, which has the mission of “empowering women, girls and their families to achieve equal opportunities in their personal and professional lives.”
2. It reaches out to 65,000 girls and adults each year. In fact, their reach is so far and so influential that the organization has been recognized by CWEALF for its efforts. Last year, Jennifer Smith Turner, president and CEO for Girl Scouts of Connecticut, was named one of the 2012 Marie Miller Stewart Awardees. Smith Turner helped to ensure that each Girl Scout reaches her full potential.
3. It encourages girls to become interested in the government. It’s never too early to get young women interested in politics, and the Girl Scouts of CT take that notion very seriously. In fact, they will be taking a trip to Connecticut’s capitol on Feb. 27, where they’ll speak with legislators and participate in workshops. I see a future president of CWEALF (and maybe even the U.S.) in the making.
4. It helps make science, technology, engineering, and math (also known as STEM) accessible. Girl Scouts of CT provides ample opportunities for its young members to get involved in fields of interest often geared toward boys; there are astronomy clubs, LEGO leagues, and chemistry groups the girls can join. G2O, a program by CWEALF, does the same. G2O - it stands for Generating Girls’ Opportunities - brings STEM to high school girls and helps them transform an interest into a future.
5. The cookies. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Girl Scouts are amazing because of the delicious goods they sell each year. More importantly, however, is the message and lessons behind the cookie sales. Girl Scouts of CT - and CWEALF, for that matter - are all about providing women with the opportunities to be self-sufficient, strong, and knowledgeable. The Girl Scouts cookie program is a chance to do that. Its five goals include strengthening each girl’s ability to set goals, make decisions, manage money, deal with people, and consider the ethics of business - all skills that extend far beyond a simple cookie sale.
Next time you’re thinking of purchasing a box Samoas, remind yourself of why Girl Scouts is such a lovely program - and feel free to add an extra box to your order (for the greater good!).
Photo by bamalibrarylady, “God bless vegan girl scout cookies!” 2/2/13. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic License.
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Crystal Maldonado is a writer by day, and super-feminist by night. Find her on Twitter @crysmaldonado, or check out her new online magazine, Positively-Smitten.com.
In our last Volunteer Spotlight, we met Iwona Zambrzycka who was as an Information and Referral (I&R) that worked with us answering client emails regarding legal issues. Today I’d like to introduce you to another one of our I&R volunteers. Rita answers our I&R phone line and has also been instrumental in research and evaluation around our Legal Education Program.
Q: How did you hear about CWEALF and what made you want to get involved with us?
A: I was searching for somewhere to volunteer in Hartford where I would be able to make a difference, especially with an underserved population. I noticed that CWEALF was very much involved in helping people find ways to overcome many of the disadvantages that they face, especially in the legal system.
Q: You’ve been working with us since January 2012. What has been the best part about volunteering?
A: There is really so much that I enjoy about being a part of CWEALF! The fact that the work environment at CWEALF is so welcoming has been a wonderful experience. There is always an opportunity to learn from any one of the staff members in a variety of areas, in addition to learning from the various clients. There is always an opportunity to learn here, and that is something that I value.
Q: What have you learned from this experience?
A: I have learned SO much from this experience, some of which impacts me personally. I have learned about so many resources available to help others, especially those in the lower socio-economic status level. I believe that one of the major things that I can take away from my experience here is the renewed belief that I can make a difference in the community because I see change made every time I come into the office. That is not something that happens often- being able to witness the impact you have made immediately. I feel that CWEALF has helped me grow personally as well as professionally, where I have realized a passion within myself to help others.
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I would love to continue volunteering at CWEALF for as long as my schedule allows and I have made a personal commitment to doing so. I plan on going back to school to pursue my Masters in Social Work, as well as becoming more involved in the Hartford community, doing advocacy and/or youth development.
Q: Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
A: I am a hardcore New York Giants fan!!! And I secretly enjoy horrible, scripted, “tacky” reality TV
If you have any questions about internships or volunteering at CWEALF, please visit our website and/or contact Lisa Herrera at lherrera@cwealf.org
CWEALF currently has 16 volunteers, some of which are pictured above. They help us with a variety of projects whether it’s tracking legislation, staffing our Information and Referral line, coordinating our STEM Expos, or updating this blog! We couldn’t do all the work we do without their help and we are very grateful to them. While many will be celebrating Valentine’s Day with their special someone, here at CWEALF we have dubbed this week Volunteer Appreciation Week to celebrate the people we love most - our volunteers!
During the 2012 presidential election campaign, one of the biggest controversies concerning the Republican candidate Mitt Romney was the lack of diversity he represented and his outdated beliefs about women in the workplace, illustrated by his comment saying he went through “binders full of women” to find senior-level staff as governor of Massachusetts.
Because of this and because of Obama’s more progressive views on women, Obama greatly benefited from the gender gap during the election, getting the majority of the female vote in the United States.
Unfortunately, Obama is now putting together his second-term administration and so far his cabinet, which includes Vice President Joe Biden, is definitely a “boy’s club”. There are only two women, both holdovers, who are Janet Napolitano of Homeland Security and Kathleen Sebelius of Health and Human Services. This seems especially out of place for Obama, who could have definitely found more qualified women to fill positions for his cabinet.
It seemed like he was going to elect Susan Rice to fill Hillary Clinton’s prior role as secretary of state, but he went with Sen. John Kerry instead. He avoided a conflict with that, but decided to fight for Sen. Chuck Hagel for the Pentagon even though that choice was more likely to lead to an argument than Rice.
Obama can and should do better. Without equal representation, women and girls do not have a voice and as a country that makes it difficult to concentrate on women’s issues and forge ahead for equality. This is related to the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) and their work on being a voice for women and girls. CWEALF fights for women and girls to be represented concerning public policy by doing things like providing testimonies at the State Capitol, and getting involved in legal advocacy and coalitions. CWEALF also has Legal Education and Research & Evaluation programs.
Photo by Beverly & Pack, “Official Portrait of Barack Obama,” 1/13/09. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.
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Written by Brittany Estes-Garcia. Brittany is a student at Arizona State University and is a volunteer with CWEALF.
A recent article discusses the recommendation that women between the ages of 14 and 46 should be screened for intimate partner violence (IPV) through a standard set of questions when at a doctor’s office or clinic. This recommendation was made by a panel of medical experts after reviewing dozens of studies and interviews with over 30,000 people. The task force only found evidence to address women of childbearing age, though screenings for other groups such as men, children, and older women should still be developed. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association have similar recommendations for screenings for domestic violence. Planned Parenthood has been screening women for years and has found the practice to be helpful.
One-fourth of all women and one-thirteenth of all men in the United States experience domestic violence during their lives, according to the Office on Women’s Health. This is 2.3 million people each year. Domestic violence is a very complicated issue with just as complicated solutions. The CDC suggests that prevention efforts would require “addressing change at all levels of the social ecology that influence IPV: individual, relationship, community, and society.” It is at least a positive sign that such task forces and screening recommendations are recognizing the importance of trying to find preventative measures. Domestic violence affects so many people and it needs to be acknowledged and discussed before anything can be done to change it on a broader level. The Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF) supports the right of everyone to feel safe in their own home.
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Written by Sarah Trench. Sarah is a student at NYU and volunteer blogger for the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund (CWEALF).
