The Montgomery County Foundation Inc. is launching the study “The Status of Women in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: 2018 Report.”

This initiative is in line with the Foundation’s role as a Catalyst for Community Solutions: exploring, identifying and addressing important needs and opportunities for growth and change in the County.

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The Foundation commissioned this study, conducted by the West Chester University Center for Social and Economic Policy Research, to provide an invaluable tool for individuals and organizations interested in improving the well-being of women in Montgomery County. The report is an in-depth baseline needs assessment of women in the County, and explores eight major areas affecting the lives of women: employment and earnings; work and family; poverty and opportunity; health and well-being; reproductive rights and infant health; violence and safety; political participation; and women veterans.

“We conducted this study to shine a light on significant issues and trends affecting the lives of women in the County,” said Virginia Frantz, President and CEO, Montgomery County Foundation Inc. “Women continue to face challenges such as gender wage gap, poverty, adverse health conditions and under-representation in high-paying jobs. Addressing these gaps is key to promoting the advancement of women, which will lead to the overall betterment of families and communities in Montgomery County.”

The Foundation hosted a meeting of community leaders at its office in Blue Bell today to present key findings and facilitate a discussion about significant trends and challenges that women face in Montgomery County. The Foundation plans to hold other meetings at different community centers in the County to raise awareness of these issues. The primary objective of these meetings is to disseminate information about the areas where additional improvements remain critical, and discuss how organizations, community leaders and policymakers can use this report to improve disparities that exist for girls and women in the County.

The report was funded by the Montgomery County Foundation, Inc., the Arcadia Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Foundation thanks the funders as well as the organizations and community members who gave their time to participate in surveys, interviews and focus groups.

The full report and the Executive Summary are available on the Foundation’s website http://www.mcfoundationinc.org/researchstudy.asp

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