For First Time in Forty Years, Alexandria Releasing “Status of Women” Report

Alexandria Commission for Women to Release Report and Recommendations on the Status of Women

ALEXANDRIA, VA–The Alexandria Commission for Women (CFW) will host a reception to release their “Status of Women” report on Tuesday, Nov. 13, from 5:45-6:15 p,m. in the Vola Lawson Lobby of City Hall at 301 King Street. Members of the community are invited to attend.

It has been more than four decades since the release of the City of Alexandria’s 1974 “Final Report of the Alexandria Ad Hoc Committee for Women,” and gender equality and the well-being of women have surfaced again in the national spotlight. Society is wrangling with the repercussions of sexual assault, gender discrimination, pay disparity, unequal representation and other circumstances that inhibit women’s equality and welfare.

Just as Alexandria emerged as a champion of women’s rights in the early 1970s, the CFW believes that the City again has the opportunity to develop pathways to overcome inequalities and address challenges.

To guide such an effort, over the last two years, the CFW analyzed local, state and national data; conducted interviews with city and local leaders and held focus groups to glean information about the status of women and girls in Alexandria.

The CFW summarized its findings in the “Status of Women” report to provide an understanding of the status of women today and to highlight emerging trends. Organized under five pillars — economic security, opportunity, leadership, safety and health — the report highlights data from each area and offers specific and broad recommendations for the City and the community to consider.

The report will be published online at alexandriava.gov/DCHS on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., and copies will be available at the reception.

For more information, contact Liz Johnson of the Alexandria Commission for Women at [email protected] or 571.275.1828.