Women in region make gains, face big challenges, report says

Minorities found to be especially vulnerable

By JOHN IWASAKI
P-I REPORTER

Despite impressive gains in business, education and politics, many women in this region still face daunting challenges economically, according to a report released Tuesday by the Women's Funding Alliance.

Minority women, especially immigrants and refugees, were described as particularly vulnerable in the five areas covered by the report: economic security, education, health, personal safety and leadership.

The report's research team reviewed data from dozens of federal, state and local sources and convened focus groups to determine the status of women and girls in King, Snohomish, Pierce and Whatcom counties.

"We want to know we're addressing the most pressing issues facing our community today," said LeAnne Moss, executive director of the non-profit Women's Funding Alliance.

The Seattle-based organization raises and distributes money to social justice and other organizations, including shelters for abused women, and welfare, abortion and immigrant rights groups.

"Until now, we haven't had a really good picture in this four-county region," Moss said.

Among the most troubling findings, Moss said, was how women of color consistently fared worse than white women in economics, health and safety.

One-third of Hispanic, black and Native American/Alaskan native women live in poverty in the four-county region, the report said. Only 43 percent of Hispanic women had health insurance in 2005, the lowest rate in the state.

"There are striking health disparities for women of color for nearly every indicator, with the exception of maybe breast cancer," said Lori Pfingst, lead author of the report and a research associate with the Human Services Policy Center at the University of Washington.

Non-white immigrant and refugee women generally arrive in the U.S. in good health, "but the longer they stay, their health becomes worse," she said.

The reasons relate to "financial responsibilities -- how (well) you're able to feed your family and your access to health care, especially for those undocumented," Pfingst said.

Women make about 75 cents for every dollar earned by men in the region, with minority women earning even less, the report said. Nearly 180,000 women and girls in the region live in poverty. The poverty rate is slightly higher than for men, but the gap for single women widens when compared with households headed by married couples or single men.

Moss said she was pleasantly surprised to see how local women have fared in business ownership and political leadership.

Nearly 127,000 businesses are owned by women in the region, generating $23 billion in annual sales, the report said. The state has high representation in top elected political positions.

Domestic violence remains a problem, especially for poor families; Pfingst said this could be related to stress and a lack of resources and support networks.

The report's findings should be used to increase integration of services among various agencies, since the problems and solutions are interrelated, said Souchinda Khampradith, clinical supervisor for the children, youth and family program at Asian Counseling and Referral Service in Seattle.