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The Status of Women in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: 2018 Report

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The Status of Women in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: 2018 Report The Status of Women in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: 2018 Report Michelle L. Wade PhD, MPA, Research Associate TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................ii INTRODUCTION & METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 1 EMPLOYMENT & EARNINGS ........................................................................................................... 5 WORK & FAMILY ........................................................................................................................... 26 POVERTY & OPPORTUNITY ........................................................................................................... 47 HEALTH & WELL-BEING ................................................................................................................. 64 VIOLENCE & SAFETY ...................................................................................................................... 93 REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, FERTILITY, & INFANT HEALTH ............................................................. 110 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION .......................................................................................................... 123 WOMEN VETERANS .................................................................................................................... 135 PRIMARY DATA SUMMARY: SURVEYS, FOCUS GROUPS, & INTERVIEWS .................................. 149 RECOMMENDATIONS & CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 153 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 156 APPENDIX A: Nonprofit Provider Snapshot Survey.................................................................... 171 APPENDIX B: Focus Group and Interview Questions ................................................................. 185 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. would like to thank the funders and community partners who supported the publication of this report. The Foundation appreciates the contributions from nonprofit, government, and community volunteers who participated in focus groups, interviews, or surveys. The Foundation would also like to thank county, state, and federal agencies for their reliable and publicly accessible data that informed much of this report. The Foundation wishes to offer special gratitude to the Chester County Fund for Women and Girls for their research on women and girls in Chester County in their Blueprint Report series as well as for graciously welcoming the Foundation’s interest in following their groundbreaking path. The Fund’s kind support has been immensely appreciated. Our special thanks to: Funding Partners Special thanks to the Honorable Senator Daylin Leach, Pennsylvania State Senator, who generously facilitated support from the Pennsylvania Department of Education The Arcadia Foundation The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. Researchers Center for Social and Economic Policy Research at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Michelle L. Wade, PhD, MPA Lorin Mayo, MEd Margaret Tracy, MPA The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. 2019 Board of Directors Cindy Diccianni RN, ChFC, CLTC, AEP®, Chairperson Gerald E. Gorski, Vice Chairperson James E. Quillen, CFP, Treasurer Thurman D. Booker, D.O., Secretary Virginia Frantz, President & CEO Catherine M. Harper, Esquire Dr. A. Kirk Field William L. Landsburg, Esquire Joseph St. Pedro Harvey Strauss, Esquire James L. Hollinger, Esquire, Legal Counsel ii The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. 2018 Board of Directors James E. Quillen, CFP, Chairperson Cindy Diccianni RN, ChFC, CLTC, AEP®, Vice Chairperson Thurman D. Booker, D.O., Secretary Clark E. Bromberg, Ph.D., Treasurer Virginia Frantz, President & CEO Marsha B. Bolden, Esquire Dr. A. Kirk Field Gerald E. Gorski William L. Landsburg, Esquire Joseph St. Pedro Harvey Strauss, Esquire James L. Hollinger, Esquire, Legal Counsel Board Members Emeritus Marsha B. Bolden, Esquire Clark E. Bromberg, Ph.D Muriel H. Anderson, Director Emeritus Payson W. Burt, Chairman Emeritus (Deceased) John C. Webber, President Emeritus/Director Emeritus (Deceased) Caesar J. Gorski, Director Emeritus Lead Staff Jodi Button McHale, The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. Report Review and Editorial Committee Vibha Agrawal, The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. Women’s Leadership Council Virginia Frantz, President & CEO, The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. Maureen Furletti, President & Founder, Excelsis Consulting LLC Joanne O. Kline, Executive Director, VNA Foundation of Greater North Penn Focus Groups & Interviews ACLAMO Family Centers VNA-Community Services, Inc. Women’s Resource Center Montgomery County Office of Veteran Affairs Jaisohn Memorial Foundation Community Leaders, Montgomery County Women’s Executive Roundtable, Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. iii INTRODUCTION & METHODOLOGY The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive baseline assessment of the status of women in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania that can be used by community leaders, stakeholders, and policymakers who want to improve the well-being of women in the county. Data for this report was obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Primary data was gathered by the researcher through a nonprofit provider survey, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. Secondary data already exists and was gathered by someone else other than the researcher, and in this report, it came from a variety of government agencies and nonprofit organizations. National, state, and county level data were provided when possible to provide a basis of comparison for interpretation. Every effort has been made to include the most recent data available at the time this report was originally drafted. Methodology Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered for this study to provide a greater understanding of the topic. Quantitative data was gathered through the secondary data analysis and a nonprofit provider “snapshot” survey. The descriptive statistics presented here provide an easy basis of comparison between outcomes for women and men and for women of color. Qualitative data was gathered in the focus groups, interviews, and open-ended survey questions to provide a deeper understanding of women’s experiences and challenges in Montgomery County that cannot be easily quantified. Secondary Data Analysis A variety of national, state, and county or regional sources and databases were used in this report. Even though the secondary data presented here are available through a variety of existing sources, this report compiled all of the data into one comprehensive examination that focuses specifically on women and topics of interest to The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. National and/or state level data was provided as a basis of comparison and to illustrate overall trends when county-level data was unavailable or when county-level data on women of color was unavailable due to small sample sizes. Data sources include, but are not limited to, the list below: Center for American Women and Politics Institute for Women’s Policy Research National Conference of State Legislatures Montgomery County Administration Montgomery County Health Department Montgomery County Planning Commission Montgomery County Veteran Affairs Montgomery County Voter Services Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence 1 Pennsylvania Department of Education Pennsylvania Department of Health o EDDIE (Enterprise Data Dissemination Informatics) o Opioid Data Dashboard o Pennsylvania and County Health Profiles Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Pennsylvania Department of State National Institute of Mental Health Social Security Administration U.S. Census Bureau o American Community Survey o Current Population Survey o Voting and Registration Supplement U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention o Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System o Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations o Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke o The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey o NCHHSTP AtlasPlus o WISQARS (Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System) U.S. Department of Labor o Women’s Bureau o Bureau of Labor Statistics U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs U.S. Office of Women’s Health Nonprofit Provider “Snapshot” Survey In order to determine the needs, resources, and barriers that women face in terms of services, a Nonprofit Provider “Snapshot” Survey was distributed to nonprofit organizations and government agencies that provide social services within Montgomery County. Organizations were asked to describe the programs and services provided, to identify services women had difficulty accessing, as well as any barriers they might face in serving clients. Focus Groups Focus groups allow a researcher to find out how people feel about a particular topic or issue. By conducting multiple focus groups, a researcher can assess recurring themes (Krueger and Casey 2009). The Montgomery County Foundation, Inc. recruited participants from a variety of backgrounds and experiences to participate in focus groups in order to gather a diversity of perspectives on the resources and needs of women in Montgomery County. Special attention was given to demographic and geographic diversity
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