As the director of the Women's Fund of Winston-Salem, Tari Hanneman has seen teenage mothers struggle to finish high school and make a good life for their babies. She has watched single mothers who work in low paying jobs scramble to feed their children, find decent housing and save for old age.
She and her staff had a sense that life was hard for many women in Forsyth County, but they didn't have the facts to back up their suspicions.
Now they do.
This morning, the Women's Fund will present "Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County" at a meeting at Forsyth Medical Center's conference center. The report includes information from interviews last year with 23 women representing a cross section of the community as well as data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Forsyth County, the state of North Carolina and other sources. The meeting will begin at 7:30 a.m. and is open to the public.
Among the report's findings are that women are disproportionately affected by poverty in the county, with 16 percent of all women living in poverty, compared with 13 percent of men. Nearly 44 percent of families headed by women in Forsyth County live in poverty.
More than 10,000 children from poor families in the county are eligible for child care subsidies but are not getting them due to a lack of funding.
Although teenage pregnancy rates fell significantly in 75 North Carolina counties in 2008, the last year for which data is available, teenage pregnancy rates in Forsyth County increased by 8 percent, with 67 out of 1,000 Forsyth girls ages 15 to 19 becoming pregnant compared with 58 out of 1,000 teens statewide.
The report also includes a number of recommendations to improve the economic status of women.
One of the more significant findings to come out of the report is that although women make up 49 percent of the county's work force, they make less than their male counterparts, Hanneman said. The median income for full-time female workers over 16 is $33,582, compared with the median income of $43,972 for men working full-time.
The lag in women's pay compared with men's is troubling, she said.
"People know that women are getting more educated, graduating from high school and college more," Hanneman said. "People may assume that means they're going to be OK financially and they're not."
The Women's Fund of Winston-Salem was started in 2006 and has nearly 800 members. Its mission is to support projects that improve the well-being of women and girls in the county. In the past three years, the fund has awarded almost $500,000 to local organizations. The fund is housed at the Winston-Salem Foundation.
The Women's Fund will use the study in making future grants that help women achieve long-term economic security. In May the fund will issue its annual request for proposals for its 2010 grants.
Sharee Fowler, a member of the board of the Women's Fund and the director of a program to empower teachers at the United Way of Forsyth County, said she hopes the recommendations will encourage the community to come together and help.
The report has some broad recommendations for improving the status of women, such as ensuring that poor women have access to safe and affordable housing, preventing teen pregnancy and supporting teen mothers and providing women with the education and training necessary to work in higher paying jobs, Fowler said.
"What we're hoping is it will be a springboard for nurturing in-depth dialogue in this community," she said. "We're by no means offering prescriptions."
Although the report is about women, its findings have an impact on everyone in the county, Hanneman said.
"We know that when you help women become economically secure you help their families become more secure," Hanneman said, "which benefits our entire community."
mgiunca@wsjournal.com
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