The Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) is pleased to announce that it is partnering with the Women’s Foundation of Boston to conduct an in-depth analysis of the state of women and girls across Massachusetts, with a particular emphasis on their economic empowerment.
“We’re interested in gaining a more nuanced understanding of issues specifically in the Commonwealth,” said WCW Senior Research Scientist and Economist Sari Pekkala Kerr, Ph.D., who will lead the project along with WCW Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist Georgia Hall, Ph.D. “Our results will inform targeted interventions aimed at closing the gaps in economic outcomes for Massachusetts women and girls.”
Economic stability and financial independence for women in Massachusetts are challenging. High housing and childcare costs, high poverty rates for single mothers, and a significant gender pay gap impact women’s ability to fully participate in the workforce, pursue career advancement, and achieve financial independence and security for their families. The challenges facing girls in Massachusetts are no less stark. Young women have recently started graduating from college at higher rates than their male peers. However, these advancements are not evenly distributed across demographics and have not translated into economic progress, as reflected in the widening gender pay gap and limited access to leadership positions. Additionally, the mental health crisis among girls has grown even more severe. Research is needed on the status of girls in Massachusetts to better understand where to target solutions.
“Accurate data on the challenges faced by women and girls in our state is essential to addressing the needs of this chronically underserved population, yet it remains unavailable,” said Christina Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Boston. “Despite the pressing issues they face, only 1.4% of all philanthropic giving in Massachusetts supports nonprofits focused on women and girls. This significant underfunding is alarming and reflects a broader lack of research in this area. We are excited to partner with the Wellesley Centers for Women to gain insights into these challenges. This research will serve as a foundation for developing evidence-based, actionable community solutions.”
The year-long project will examine key data indicators on the economic status and experiences of women and girls statewide. These include employment, occupational segregation, the gender pay gap, breadwinner roles, caregiving, single motherhood, same-sex marriages, education, entrepreneurship, childcare, poverty, housing, wealth, safety, criminal justice, health, reproductive issues, and leadership across political, civic, and corporate sectors.
“This data will give us a clearer picture of where the challenges are and point us toward solutions,” said Hall. “The goal is to transform research into action for women and girls in Massachusetts.”
About the Wellesley Centers for Women
The Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW) is the largest academic research and action institute in the United States that is focused on women and gender and driven by social change. WCW is located at Wellesley College. Research scientists and project directors at WCW advance gender equality, social justice, and human wellbeing through high-quality research, theory, and action programs. Areas of work include: Education, Economic Security, Mental Health, Youth and Adolescent Development, and Gender-Based Violence.
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About the Women’s Foundation of Boston
The Women’s Foundation of Boston is a nonprofit public charity that creates, funds, and accelerates economic empowerment, leadership and mentoring programs that equip women and girls in Greater Boston and throughout Massachusetts to be financially independent and successful leaders. In seven years of grantmaking, the Foundation has committed $8.5 million via high-impact grants and directly impacted over 20,000 women and girls across MA. The Women’s Foundation of Boston is the only funder in Massachusetts exclusively supporting nonprofits focused on women and girls with large, multi-year grants, and is quickly becoming the primary vehicle for investing in women and girls in Greater Boston and across the Commonwealth.
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Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.