By Khalida Sarwari
When Santa Clara County executive Jeff Smith remarked that “women are the most full and complete expression of humanity” at an event to unveil a new report on the state of female residents in the county, the audience erupted in applause.
Smith was speaking before hundreds of advocates and leaders who gathered in the board of supervisors’ chambers in San Jose last week to hear the latest on the status of women and girls in the realms of education, the economy, health, and violence and crime.
The event was hosted by the county’s Office of Women’s Policy, which compiled the “State of Women and Girls in Santa Clara County” report to guide policy and advocacy efforts toward improving the well-being of women and girls.
A major thrust of the event was that while women and girls have made progress, they continue to face significant challenges that affect their ability to achieve full equality.
Some key findings from the report state that men continue to out-earn wo-men for the same job in all fields with the exception of office and administrative support, and that across the work force men are twice as likely as women to be employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or “STEM,” jobs.
Single mothers and unmarried women in the county have the highest poverty rate, according to the report. In terms of education, the report shows that achievement gaps between boys and girls have closed and that girls have a higher high school graduation rate than boys and go on to earn more bachelor’s degrees than men. Nevertheless, women continue to trail men in pursuing careers in STEM fields.
In Santa Clara County, women have a far lower arrest rate than men but are more likely to be victims, especially of domestic violence and sexual assault, the report finds.
In the juvenile justice system, the report indicates there is an over-representation of Hispanic girls in comparison to other racial groups. Hispanic girls also overwhelmingly comprise the largest proportion of child maltreatment cases. Girls are more likely than their male counterparts to be victims of psychological as well as cyber bullying at school.
In the area of health, women report poorer physical and mental health than men, according to the report. Women’s health insurance coverage has declined, and Hispanic women are less likely than white and Asian women to have coverage, the report shows.
Based on the report’s findings, the Office of Women’s Policy plans to launch a multi-year, countywide initiative to improve the status of women and girls.
“This report gives us powerful information to help those with influence and determination to take action and advocate for the well-being of women, families and the community,” said office director Esther Peralez-Dieckmann.
From now until May 31, the county is seeking community input on the report. Feedback and inquiries may be sent to owp@ceo.sccgov.org.
Hundreds turn out for discussion of status of women, girls in county
