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South Carolina Women's Connection
| Name | Beth Stedman | | Situation | The status of women in South Carolina continues to lag behind that of men across a myriad of critical quality of life issues. Gender disparities are often found in areas of leadership, economics, and health and well-being. The 2005 Status of South Carolina’s Women report prepared by the research division of the Moore School of Business (USC) revealed specific key indicators that illustrate contemporary gender inequality issues including:
Leadership:
• South Carolina women rank 50th among the states in the U.S. for women in elected office.
• Of South Carolina’s 46 state senators, only one is a woman (Sen. Linda Short and she is not seeking re-election).
• Of the 124 members of the S.C. House of Representatives, only 14 are women.
• As of Jan. 10, 2007, there will no females in SC elected to a statewide executive office (does not include judges or appointees).
• Only two of SC’s 30 public and private four-year colleges and universities are led by women presidents; only 19% of public institution’s board of trustees members are female.
Economics:
• Women earn 73 cents for each dollar earned by a man.
Health and Well-being:
• Women in SC live in poor health. They rank 44th among the states in the incidence of heart disease, mental illness, diabetes, suicide, and mortality from breast cancer and lung disease.
• In 2001, SC ranked number one in the nation for women killed by domestic partners. | | Response | Armed with these statistics, the mission of the SC Women’s Connection is to advance the status of women in South Carolina by:
• building networks,
• providing opportunities for personal and professional development, and
• encouraging civic engagement and community stewardship.
These “growth venues” will provide women equal opportunities both
personally and professionally that will enable an enhanced quality of life and stimulate a prosperous economy for all. | | Impact | The planning stage of this initiative has generated the energy and momentum needed for sustained success. Researching best practices, establishing an organizational framework, and developing marketing materials has increased awareness of gender issues in South Carolina and galvanized support for future phases of the project. The initial stages of this project will create the foundation needed to generate positive change including:
• an increase in the number of women holding public office and serving on boards and commissions,
• a decrease in the number of women living in poverty, and
• an increase in wages earned by women.
It will take many years of concerted effort to begin to realize these
outcomes. These are all very long range impacts. But we believe that little by little, SCWC can help to foster a climate in our region that will allow us to see progress toward these goals. |
Last update4/24/2008
This website is maintained by Marion County Extension.
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