Did you know that in Wyoming:
- Women earn 30% less than men, on average.
- Women-owned businesses rank in the bottom five nationally.
- 27% of all households are headed by a single female.
- Single mother families constitute 44.2% of all Wyoming families in poverty.
- Women are more likely to die from suicide than women in all but three other states.
- 21.9% of women between the ages of 18 and 64 are without health insurance.
- 18 out of 23 counties have been partially or completely designated as Health Professional Shortage areas.
- Only 14 of the 90 available legislative seats are currently held by women.
- Teens have sex earlier than the national average.
Equality Initiatives is a statewide awareness campaign designed to highlight not only the successes of women in Wyoming, but also the many difficult challenges facing the state’s women and girls. We aim to heighten awareness of women’s status in Wyoming communities and support the many agencies that work on behalf of women.
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Building better, healthier communities means that each member of that community is valued, both in thought and in action. But statistics in Wyoming indicate that the “Equality State” has a ways to go in achieving gender parity. Through conversations with representatives from the state’s government, educational, service and social agencies, and later, with foundations who provide funds for deserving causes, we learned that improving awareness should be our first step in taking action.
Equality Initiatives has received initial start-up funding from the Wyoming Community Foundation, the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the Tate Charitable Foundation, the Equipoise Fund, the Snowdon Family Fund, the Wyoming Council on Women's Issues, and private donors. The Wyoming Community Foundation and the Wyoming Women's Foundation are serving as the fiscal sponsor of this collaborative effort. Equality Initiatives' first steps include gathering research and data around issues affecting women in Wyoming, grassroots education and launching a state-wide media campaign to raise awareness around the status of women in Wyoming, scheduled for April 25, 2008 at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper.
We look forward to this opportunity to shift community norms to accommodate a greater understanding of the issues facing Wyoming’s women and girls. Our belief is that “what is good for Wyoming’s women and children is good for Wyoming communities.” Indeed, this belief has become our mission. But we need your input and support as we build these bridges: please bookmark our page and check back often!
