Status of Women in Missouri to be discussed at WWU

3/23/2012 Mary Ann Beahon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (573) 592-1127

 

In 2010, the average earnings of women college graduates in Missouri were only 90 percent of their male counterparts.

In a talk at William Woods University, Shirley Breeze will talk about this discrepancy and others like it that affect women in Missouri. Breeze is a retired business professor and a board member of the Women's Policy Alliance.
 
The event is scheduled for at 7 p.m. Monday, March 26, in the Library Auditorium and is free and open to the public.  It will be hosted by Mary Mosley, assistant professor of Spanish at WWU, and an ardent advocate of women's equality.
 
"It's really important to know where women stand so we can try to improve conditions, such as the number of women in poverty or the pay disparity between women and men. If we don't know the facts, it's hard to make change," explained Mosley.
 
The Missouri Women's Report was compiled by the Women's Policy Alliance and the University of Missouri's Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis.
 
It is designed to provide information on the status of Missouri women and a method to measure improvement in their lives. The report covers a variety of factors, including healthcare, education, economics, occupations, and civic engagement.
 
"When I speak on any women's issue, someone always asks for 'proof' of the inequality of women. One of the best ways to illustrate this is with statistics from reputable agencies. This report presents that data," Breeze said.

 "For instance, there are only 41 women in the state House of Representatives (out of 163 seats); there are only 15 female county commissioners (out of 330 positions); and there are only six female state senators (out of 34 seats)," she said.
 
"The most important thing the public needs to know," Breeze said, "is that although women have improved their status in Missouri over the last decade, there is still a long way to go."