The cross section of data, advocacy and legislation in the fight to elevate Louisiana women
Description
The Cross Section of Data, Advocacy and Legislation in the Fight to Elevate Louisiana Women. According to the Louisiana Women’s Policy and Research Commission’s (LWPRC) most recent report, The Status of Women in Louisiana 1st Edition 2020, Louisiana is at the “top of all the bad lists and the bottom of all the good lists.” The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has Louisiana ranked #49 in their Status of Women in States Report. The financial website Wallet Hub, February 2022 report, has ranked Louisiana in the top five worst states for women based two key dimensions, “Women’s Economic & Social Well-Being” and “Women’s Health Care & Safety” with the highest percentage of women in poverty across the country. While the data is clear that women in Louisiana are in need of significant support, the Louisiana legislature voted against the Equal Rights Amendment seven times, is one of only five states without a state-established minimum wage, and passed a watered-down equal pay act in 2013 for state employees only. Civil rights and social justice movements have been successful when data, advocacy, and legislation work together in a coordinated fashion. Elevating the status of women in Louisiana out of last place* can (and should) be considered a ‘movement.’ The purpose of this research is to examine the following: who or what is leading a Louisiana movement to elevate the status of women? In what way is data informing the priorities and actions of our advocacy groups and elected officials?