Women's Research Institute of Nevada Newsletter
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Newsletters Women's Research Institute of Nevada Fall 2008 Women's Research Institute of Nevada Newsletter Joanne Goodwin University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected] Women's Research Institute of Nevada Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/wrin_news Part of the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Goodwin, Joanne and Women's Research Institute of Nevada, "Women's Research Institute of Nevada Newsletter" (2008). Newsletters. 6. https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/wrin_news/6 This Newsletter is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Newsletter in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Newsletter has been accepted for inclusion in Newsletters by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Fall 2008 Improving the lives of women in our state through research and education Research is not a luxury Director’s Message by Joanne Goodwin From oil price in 40 years with the recession of are top concerns for women and increases to home 2001. Since economists believe girls. mortgage foreclosures that women’s earnings (on average) Violence: In the United States, each and state budget comprise one-half of family incomes, year, women are the victims of more deficits, these their job losses and failure to return than 4.5 million violent crimes. In are challenging to jobs with the same pay rates raise a 2006 NCRW poll, three-quarters economic times. Individuals as well particular concerns about long-term of adults surveyed (74%) said they as institutions of higher learning economic well-being for individuals, are taking defensive positions to families, as well as communities. were in favor of fully funding the get through the rough patch. So is Violence Against Women Act to WRIN. It is worthwhile at times Our Status of Women in Nevada ensure adequate support for domestic like these to remind ourselves why project (p. 2) tracks the economic violence shelters, prevention research is not a luxury to be cast well-being of women workers as programs, and rape crisis centers. aside, but an answer to current well as the changing status of their Immigration: Women are 50 problems. education, health, and welfare. percent of the foreign-born U.S. Rather than an “extra,” this research population. Immigrant women Research holds the potential to provides vital information to our often receive low wages, have explain large trends; trends that state’s leaders. higher family caretaking demands, impact individuals, yet demand and are vulnerable to sexual abuse solutions larger than one individual. Big 5 campaign issues and harassment at higher rates. Linda Basch, President of the announced National Council for Research Education: Access to education is At its annual conference in June, key to women’s economic security on Women, recently noted that, the National Council for Research “Research not only reveals the and well-being. More vigorous on Women (NCRW) announced efforts are needed to ensure real challenges faced by women the “Big Five” issues of concern to but paves the way for developing sufficient federal programs to fund women that it would like to see effective policies and strategies to education across income levels, candidates address. address those challenges and ignite especially for low-income women. transformative change.” Economic security: More women For additional information on all over age 16 live in poverty of the issues, the research behind than men. When women are The Ford Foundation used research them, and the NCRW, please go to economically secure, they are in such a manner with its 2007 http://www.ncrw.org. able to contribute to society, earn study on economic insecurity (p. comparable salaries for comparable In This Issue 2) in which it explored the rising work, provide for their families, and Director’s Message ........................pg 1 sense of insecurity felt by American develop their capacities without Status of Women ............................pg 2 workers. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research took the Ford data restrictions or discrimination. Oral History Projects .....................pg 3 and sorted out how the downturn Health: A majority of U.S. citizens NEW Leadership Nevada ..............pg 4 affected American women in have identified access to affordable Alumnae Internship .......................pg 5 ways distinctly different from health care as a priority for them New Program Manager .................pg 6 their male peers. They discovered and for their families. Along with WRIN Announcements .................pg 7 that after decades of employment affordable health care, universal growth, women experienced the and portable health care, health first “sustained period of job loss” disparities, and reproductive health Research Briefs Status of Women in Nevada with a focus on disease control The report suggests that most women’s and reproductive health. In studying status in the economy leaves them more Nevada Project women’s employment, WRIN will not vulnerable in an economic downturn. By Barbie Held only be able to report women’s earnings, The full report may be found on the but also track their distribution among IWPR website at http://www.iwpr.org/ In 2004, WRIN collaborated with the industries and occupations compared pdf/D482AWSReport.pdf. Institute for Women’s Policy Research to men. As women become greater (IWPR) on their Status of Women in contributors to family incomes, this the States project to produce The Status information is crucial. Facts and Need Stats on Women? of Women in Nevada. The report is information released by WRIN will be See femstats.net intended to make critical information comparable to both national and county When WRIN wanted information on on the well-being of Nevada’s citizens level data. the status of women in Nevada, the available for our legislators, educators, best source available in 2000 came The Status of Women in Nevada and the general public. It also provides from the Institute for Women’s Policy project is currently seeking a sponsor information for policy change. The Research in Washington, D.C. Now to support this important work. In the report provides basic demographics and their national data are more accessible interim, WRIN will release fact sheets focuses on women’s status in five areas: through a website http://www.iwpr.org/ on specific areas such as employment political participation, employment femstats/index.htm. A detailed study and education. and earnings, social and economic of women of color and economic risk autonomy, reproductive rights, and is currently featured on the site. Their health and well-being. Women & Economic fact sheets and state report cards are also In an attempt to get states to continue Security available. the Status project, IWPR provides In February 2007, the Rockefeller information to interested parties on how Foundation funded The American New Oral History Webpage to organize and reproduce their findings. Worker Survey to explore Americans’ Following organizations in Minnesota, sense of economic insecurity. Coming Soon This fall the WRIN website will include Wisconsin, New York, Chicago and The Institute for Women’s Policy new pages on our oral history projects. others, WRIN collaborated with the Research analyzed the survey data The expanded section will include Nevada Women’s Fund in 2005 to to explore impacts based on gender, individual pages on the oral histories release The Status of Women and Girls racial and ethnic identity, education, in the Nevada Women’s Oral History in Nevada. This report expands the employment status, and other important Project. Each page will contain an audio areas discussed in the earlier report demographic characteristics. This clip from the interview as well as photos by including areas on education and report found, “Women have different and a biography of the interviewee. criminal justice, violence, and safety. socioeconomic characteristics that These new pages will offer visitors to fundamentally affect their need for In an effort to continue the Status the website a chance to interact with public policies.” project and track changes in Nevada our oral histories and will be a good women’s progress, WRIN hired Barbie resource for researchers to learn more Women’s sense of economic insecurity Held, a Ph.D. student in Sociology, about these remarkable women. in August of 2007. Since coming to exceeds that of men about: WRIN, Barbie has compiled extensive • Their ability to stay ahead of data on women and men in Nevada. inflation. News Blog The current data collection includes • Having enough money to live on. Check out Aisha O’Brien’s blog, Neon 2005 and 2006 data and is currently • Losing healthcare coverage. Feminism at being analyzed for future release. • Not being able to afford health http://feministinvegas.wordpress.com. insurance There is a fine audio piece on the NEW Having the ability to update the • Not having enough money to retire Leadership Nevada Keynote dinner database annually, WRIN will be in on with thorough and actually informative the position to inform the community