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12/07/2002 "Macho Wisconsin-Great for Killers; Bad for Women"

From the Janesville Gazette Nov. 19, 2002, page 1:

A report released Nov. 2002, by the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Wash. D C, gave the state an F for reproductive rights and marginal grades for political participation, economic status and overall health.

The Woman's Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation co-published the study. The study used Federal Census, Labor Bureau, Health and other statistics for its research.

For women Wisconsin was ranked:

15th for political participation

20th for employment and earnings

19th for social and political autonomy

48th for reproductive rights

18th for health and well being

Sex education and insurance coverage of birth control expenses help women gain control over the timing and circumstances of having children. Women having this control are more likely to prosper financially and socially.

Yet Wisconsin women are almost the worse off (48th) when it comes to sex education, access to safe abortion, payment for birth control;

Although 69% of women voted in 2000, only 25% of state legislators are female;

Wisconsin women earn 2/3 of what men do;women's median average wages were $26,000 compared to $37,200 for men;

Only 25% of Wisc. businesses are owned by women;

1/3 of single mothers earn below the federal poverty guidelines of $15,020 for a family of three;

Wisconsin was ranked 3rd for women in the workforce (68%) but only 37th for women in management or professional positions;

Black women hold only 4% of executive and management positions and the state imprisons black women at a higher rate than any other state.

Welfare to work has been great at removing women from welfare and useless as far as training them for employment that can actually support their families. As a result they work at jobs that pay slightly above the minimum wage and must hold two jobs just to pay the bills.

IN THE MEANTIME, I LOOKED UP THE WISCONSIN WOMEN'S COUNCIL, WHO USED TO DO GREAT RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEMS HAMPERING WOMEN FROM ADVANCEMENT IN WISCONSIN. THEY NOW, AFTER 10 REPUBLICAN YEARS, RUN A CHARITY COLLECTING OLD CLOTHES TO PASS ON TO WOMEN GOING FROM WELFARE TO WORK.

THE WHITE MIDDLE CLASS LADIES BOUNTIFUL SOCIETY WOMEN'S COUNCIL.

-----Original Message-----
From: Virginia Rose [mailto:raylaw@greenconsciousness.org]
Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 11:52 AM
To: info@wwc.state.wi.us
Subject: publish the minutes

I think the woman's council should put the minutes of their meetings on their site. It does not seem as if they do anything now.

----- Original Message -----
From: Mnuk, Katie
To: 'Virginia Rose'
Cc: Anderson, Jessica
Sent: Friday, November 22, 2002 5:35 PM
Subject: RE: publish the minutes

Dear Virginia:

Thank you for your interest in the Wisconsin Women's Council, and for your suggestion regarding the Council's web site. We are currently considering re-designing the web site and may make several changes in the coming months. I appreciate your suggestion regarding the minutes, and will add it to the list of options and additions under consideration. In the mean time, if you send us your mailing address we will add it to our mailing list so that you receive copies of future meeting minutes.

You may be interested in some of our recent projects, many of which are featured on the web site. They include the Financial Education Blueprint, a tool kit that includes an extensive list of financial education resources for groups to use in providing financial education to women throughout Wisconsin.

In addition, we've developed and maintain a list of organizations throughout Wisconsin that accept and disseminate used clothing to lower-income women, and will be working with Wisconsin Women in Government on a used clothing drive in May, 2003.

We also publish a directory listing women's resources throughout Wisconsin; please let me know if you'd like us to mail you a copy of the current edition.

Again, thank you for your interest in the Wisconsin Women's Council.

Sincerely,
Katie Mnuk, Executive Director
Wisconsin Women's Council
phone: 608 266-2219
fax: 608 261-2432

Dear Ms. Mnuk:

Thank You for your thorough response to my letter.

I saw those 2 projects but you are not supposed to be a charity group or a hotline resource for other groups.

The task force was established to investigate and expand the rights of women, if it is necessary in any particular area.

I do not want the minutes mailed to me. I want them on the site so all can read them. I also think the mission statement might be a good thing to have on the site.

Sincerely,

Ginny Rose

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