IWF Luncheon in the Iowa City Press Citizen
Speaker: Women must help each other
Lee Hermiston
Iowa City Press-Citizen
If women are going to continue to progress in society, they need to help each other out, the keynote speaker said Tuesday at the 14th annual Iowa Women's Foundation luncheon.
"We need to make sure that when we are going through a door, that we bring lots and lots of women with us," said Rachel Scott, division administrator for the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women.
The luncheon was hosted by the IWF at the University Athletic Club. The IWF is a philanthropic organization that raises money for various causes involving women and girls.
The annual luncheon is the top fundraiser for the organization, which was founded in Iowa City in 1994.
"Our mission is to improve the lives of women and girls across the state of Iowa through philanthropy, advocacy and collaboration," said IWF interim Executive Director Dayna Ballantyne.
Ballantyne said the IWF raised $25,000 at last year's luncheon. Its goal for this year is $35,000. The money raised goes to programs across the state aimed at improving the lives of girls and women.
Scott said women in Iowa have had their lives improve greatly over the last few decades.
However, according to Scott, 60 percent of Iowans who work two or more jobs are women. The child support recovery rate in Iowa is less than 50 percent, she said.
The biggest issue, however, is wage equity, Scott said.
"Wage equity isn't something we have done a lot about," she said.
On average, women earn 62 cents on the dollar compared to their male counterparts in the same industry. Women also are more likely to be found on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder, she said. Iowa also never has elected a woman to Congress or as governor, she said.
Part of the problem is that there is a myth being perpetuated that women are not comfortable going further in their careers for fear of sacrificing their families.
"It creates false dilemmas," Scott said, "either your family or your job."
There are things women can do to help their causes, however. Scott said the first step is recognizing what you want and then knowing how to get it. Scott said women also need to build on each other's successes, and when one woman is triumphant at achieving a high-paying job or receiving a promotion, she should share how she achieved her goals.
Although things have improved for women over the last few decades, Scott said there's still a long way to go.
"There's a lot of work that needs to be done in this community and in this world," she said.
