Portrait Project Illustrates Unmet Needs of Women and Girls in Washington, DC

by Layla Moughari

Last fall, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation, with IWPR and the Urban Institute, launched the report, 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area, at the Foundation’s annual luncheon. The report addresses women’s economic security, education, employment and earnings, work supports, housing, health, violence and safety, and leadership and philanthropy in the District of Columbia
and five neighboring counties.

The findings describe a population with a diverse demographic and socioeconomic profile with varied levels
of educational attainment and health outcomes. The report finds poverty rates for women and girls rose in 2009 to 9.3 percent from 8.4 percent in 2008, due to the lingering effects of the recession. Men in the region also saw an increase in poverty rates in 2009 from the previous year, to 7.7 percent from 7.1 percent. Although women in the region fared better than women nationwide, there was considerable variation within the region and across subgroups of women. One in five women residing in DC (19 percent)
lives below the poverty line, compared with 5.2 percent of women living in Fairfax County, VA. In the Washington region, female-headed households with children (21 percent) are almost six times as likely
as married couples with children (3.7percent) to live in poverty.Women in the region are almost twice as likely to have graduated from college as women in the U.S. overall. Yet stark disparities in educational attainment by race and ethnicity remain. A substantial portion of women have only a high school diploma or less, and Latinas and black women are especially likely to have low educational attainment: almost six in ten (57 percent) Latinas and four in ten (39 percent) black women have a high school diploma or less. Health was another indicator with mixed outcomes, especially by race and ethnicity. Women in our region enjoy high rates of health insurance coverage, ranging from 94 percent in DC to 87 percent in Prince George’s County, MD (national rate was 82 percent). Yet the rates are lower for women of color. Likewise,
communities of color have higher rates of heart disease, cancer, obesity and HIV/ AIDS. In the region, more than one in four women is obese. Black women experience even higher rates of obesity: more than
one in three black women aged 18–64 is obese. HIV/AIDS rates for women in DC are almost 12 times higher than the national rate. The portrait provides a comprehensive picture of the status of women and girls in our region. The conclusions point to gaps in resources and the value of targeted policies that address the needs of women and girls. Since the launch of the report, the Washington Area Women’s Foundation has been using the findings to shape the conversation about women’s needs in our community. To date, WAWF has held three listening sessions with the White House Council on Women and Girls. These sessions are intended to increase engagement among local groups and the administration, including the most recent on older women’s economic security. Five additional sessions are scheduled in the coming months that will cover a range of topics, including health and safety, issues
facing immigrants, and issues facing the LGBTQ community. In addition, the report contributed to the convening, “Philanthropy in Action: Charting a course for Social Change,” sponsored by Washington Grantmakers. WAWF president, Nicky Goren, addressed how data can be used to shift the public
focus to women and girls. The 2010 Portrait report is a great addition to IWPR’s Status of Women in States series. And it is yet another example of how IWPR research can be used to effect change.