Becky Sykes, Executive Director of the Dallas Women’s Foundation, wrote in the Dallas Morning News last week that when you help a woman, there’s a ripple effect.
Spoken like a true international development specialist, often quoted as saying, "To educate a woman is to educate a family," or other statements that tie the welfare of women to the welfare of families, and, by default, entire communities.
But Sykes accurately ties this accepted aspect of work developing communities abroad to the work of women’s foundations operating in communities throughout the U.S.
Because the same principles that apply internationally to developing communities and the status of women also apply here at home, even if they are harder for us to see.
Sykes writes, "International development studies and projects have shown time and again that an investment in women – more than any other – is the fastest and surest way to affect an entire community. Here in North Texas, we often mistakenly assume that the needs of women and girls are not as critical as in other, less fortunate communities. What a dangerously incorrect assumption."
Sykes notes the realities that make this true for Dallas, and our region is no different. Our Portrait Project has shown that in the Washington metropolitan area:
- Women-headed households, especially those headed by single mothers, suffer disproportionately from the region’s growing poverty. In the District of Columbia, 30% of women-headed families live in poverty – above the national average and the highest in the region.
- Women still earn less than their male counterparts. In Fairfax County, where the discrepancy is largest, men’s annual median earnings outpace women’s by $18,700.
- In 2000, in the District of Columbia, women-headed families at the median income ($26,500) could afford to buy only 8% of homes in the city. Many families are faced with childcare expenses that consistently exceed earnings. For example, the estimated cost of childcare in Montgomery County for an infant and a preschooler is $15,329, more than one-third of the median income for women-headed families in that county.
- Despite the improvement in the rates of teen pregnancy, communities in our region still lag behind in infant-mortality rates, a key indicator of healthy pregnancies. The District of Columbia and Prince George’s County have the highest infant mortality rates in the region.
- The District of Columbia has a higher incidence (new cases) of AIDS among women than anywhere else in the country. The rate of new AIDS cases among adolescent and adult women in the District of Columbia is 10 times the national rate.
As Sykes explains, " When you see women in trouble like this, it is often an early warning signal of deeper, growing problems. Because, just as helping a woman has a ripple effect, so does letting her sink into poverty and disenfranchisement."
Luckily, there is another side to this story, one of communities coming together to invest in programs and work that supports women, lifts families out of poverty and creates stronger cities, neighborhoods and regions for all of us.
And when they do, the level of impact and transformation they achieve can be astounding.
That’s the work of foundations and funds like The Women’s Foundation that are operating throughout the country and world.
As Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations has noted repeatedly, "Study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise economic productivity, or to reduce infant and maternal mortality. No other policy is as sure to improve nutrition and promote health—including the prevention of HIV/AIDS. No other policy is as powerful in increasing the chances of education for the next generation."
Just as these problems are not unique to countries and communities abroad, neither are the solutions. The power of Investing in women is a principle that is just in true in Mauritania as it is in Maryland.
Ready to invest in the single most effective strategy for improving your community? If you’re in the Washington metropolitan area, learn more about The Power of Giving Together.
Elsewhere, visit the Women’s Funding Network to find a women’s foundation or fund near you.
