Health & Safety

17. percent of all U.S. residents have no health insurance (Kaiser Family Foundation 2009). Women are more likely to be uninsured, underinsured, and paying more for the same coverage. More often than not women also make the majority of healthcare related decisions regarding health issues for their families, are the primary care givers, and spend more than their male counterparts on health (KFF 2009; Agency for 2004). With women earning approximately 77cents for every dollar earned by a man, these issues impact not just their health, but their socio-ecomomic status and overall wellbeing.

In addition, 4 out of 5 stalking or domestic violence victims are women (NCVC Stalking Fact Sheet 2009; USDOJ Statistics 2009). Estimates of the cost of violence of this nature to the economy range in the billions of dollars annually. This means anywhere from $3.5billiion to $30billion in legal and medical services, judicial system costs and lost productivity per year (WHO 2004).

IWPR researches the health and safety of women with the aim to inform policy development. We produce reports and resources on these issues as are relevant to current policy developments.

Paid Sick Days

Valuing Good Health - IWPR Cost/Benefit Analyses:

Paid Sick Days Toolkit
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, has developed a tool to calculate how a paid sick days initiative will benefit workers in a particular state. These statistics demonstrate the widespread lack of paid sick days across the country—and reveal the benefits of a paid sick days standard for business, workers, and the economy.

IWPR’s tool can be used to calculate the number of workers by industry who have, or don't have, paid sick days. The tool can also be used to quantify approximate costs and benefits of paid sick days by state.

  • Find information about the number of workers in your state, by the industries they work in
  • Calculate how many workers, and what share of workers in your state, do and do not have paid sick days.
  • Estimate the savings and costs of a minimum paid sick days standard.
  • Report your calculations with this template.
  • Determine the portion of your state's workforce that is employed by smaller firms, which can help evaluate the employer-size threshold that's appropriate for your state.

Paid Sick Days Podcast
Listen as Kevin Miller discusses paid sick days and the H1N1 pandemic.
Click here to open the file.

Health Insurance and Disability

The Status of Women in the States

The Status of Women in the States reports provide detailed state-by-state ranks and grades on a number of indicator of women's health and well-being, including:

  • heart disease mortality,
  • lung cancer mortality,
  • breast cancer mortality,
  • incidence of Diabetes,
  • incidence of Chlamydia,
  • incidence of AIDS,
  • poor mental health,
  • suicide mortality, and
  • limited activities.

The reports also give ranks and grades on a number of indicators of reproductive rights, including:

  • parental consent/notification,
  • waiting period,
  • public funding,
  • % of women living with providers,
  • contraceptive coverage,
  • pro-choice government,
  • infertility,
  • second-parent adoption, and
  • mandatory sex education.

To view The Status of Women in the States series, please visit the project website and find out how your state ranks!

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The Relationship of Women's Socio-Economic Status and Health

With the support of the Commonwealth Fund, IWPR published a paper that uses analyses of data from the Commonwealth Fund's Survey of Women's Health to study the impact of socioeconomic status and the health of low-income women. Because women who are economically disadvantaged experience more health problems and a greater need for health services than their more affluent counterparts, IWPR's study explored how women's income levels, educational attainment, and employment status predict their ability to access important health care resources including health insurance, medical services, and preventive care. The Institute found that socioeconomic status significantly influences how women use the health care system and, consequently, their overall health. See below for the publication title

Publication: Employment and Women’s Health
Joan Kuriansky, Christine Owens, and Heidi Hartmann
This analysis of the Commonwealth Fund 1993 Survey of Women’s Health examines whether working women are healthier. Finds that employed women are healthier, particularly those with health insurance, than women who are not employed. Discusses policy implications for older women and part-time workers. Published in Women’s Health: The Commonwealth Fund Survey, Marilyn M. Falik and Karen Scott Collins (eds.), 1996.

Available as photocopy only
IWPR No. B226  |  Book Chapter  |  14 pages  |  $5.00

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Reproductive Health

Making Reproductive Health Services More Accessible

 

Links to other resources

For more information on health care reform and public polling, visit this site developed by the Communications Consortium Media Center.

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