WV Women Moving Forward
| In last week's State of the Union address, President Trump celebrated the number of women in the workforce and called for paid parental leave. The next day, WV Forward brought together nearly 90 women from across the state, including firm managers, poverty lawyers, homelessness advocates, government employees, educators, from every background and age demographic, to work on some of those very same issues. Confronting some of the challenges unique to West Virginia women, while also recognizing that there are some terrific opportunities and programs already in place across the state, the event has launched a series of conversations. Working together, the group will be proposing bold ideas for disruptive, creative and productive actions that can lead to real results. Implementation will continue throughout 2019 to drive toward those concrete deliverables and next steps. |
| Below you will find a brief overview of each working group: workforce barriers, education and the gender wage gap. Workforce barriers: The logistical barriers that prevent women from entering, reentering or staying in the workforce negatively impact the state’s workforce participation rate and the economy, which have implications for individuals, families and communities. To start, the group will look into addressing childcare and family care issues. Education: Enhancing educational opportunities for all West Virginians starts by providing positive, consistent reinforcement that all students - regardless of gender identification, socioeconomic status or race - can dream big and find pathways to become whomever they aspire to be. The group will look into inspiring girls and all young people in West Virginia to recognize their full potential through different mechanisms and expanding professional development opportunities. Wage Gap: West Virginia women earn 74 cents to every dollar men earn; the state has the third-highest gender wage gap in the nation. The group will look into helping young women negotiate equitable salaries, establishing recognition-based incentives for employers who pledge to pay equal wages for equal work, and disseminating best-practices on hiring information to reduce unconscious bias in hiring practices. |
| West Virginia Forward |