CHICAGO, IL ( September 14, 2017 ) — Today, Chicago Foundation for Women ( CFW ) released a new report on the status of women and girls in the Chicago region. Based on the available data, Chicago ranks the lowest out of the country's ten largest metropolitan areas on key measures of gender equity, and lags behind cities like Milwaukee, Houston, Boston and Atlanta.
CFW's report, entitled The Report on the Status of Chicago's Women and Girls, provides an update on data originally collected and published by the McKinsey Global Institute in the 2016 Power of Parity report.
"This report paints a clear picture of the challenges that continue to face women in Chicago communities," CFW President/CEO K. Sujata said. "By regularly sharing data on the state of women in our region, we want to engage the public in pushing for greater gains to accelerate our movement towards gender equity."
Chicago has improved in the areas of women in the labor force, higher education and political representation. The region experienced a slight decline in women in management roles, and no change in the teen pregnancy rate. Violence against women remains a significant problem: in 2016, there were 4.5 reported incidents of domestic violence per day in Chicago.
These disparities obstruct women's ability to achieve economic security, and limit the economic growth of our region. According to research by the McKinsey Global Institute ( MGI ), closing the gender gap could grow the Chicago region's Gross Domestic Product ( GDP ) by $58 billion by 2025.
CFW's report also shares strategies to close gender disparities and accelerate the movement toward gender equity in our region.
Chicago Foundation for Women will use this data to track the progress of The 100% Project at CFW, an all-in, all-out effort to end gender bias and achieve gender equity in the Chicago region in our lifetimes. CFW will continue to monitor these indicators and release annual updates on the status of women and girls in our region, including how the Chicago community can take action to achieve gender equity.
View the report at www.windycitymediagroup.com/pdf/CFW_ChicagoGenderEquityReport_2017.pdf .
About Chicago Foundation for Women:
Chicago Foundation for Women invests in women and girls as catalysts, building strong communities for all. CFW funds organizations working to solve the biggest problems facing women and girls: economic insecurity, violence, and access to health care and information. In addition to grantmaking, CFW invests in developing women leaders and advocates, and brings together diverse coalitions to collaborate, share resources and develop solutions.
