United Women’s Empowerment Hosts Town Halls to Hear Women Workers’ Concerns

United Women’s Empowerment hosted a virtual city hall for working women in mid-Missouri on Tuesday. Hosting events both virtual and in person across the state this fall, the organization says its goal is to hear feedback from Missouri women and find solutions to the economic obstacles they face.

“It really is an opportunity for women to talk about the recovery from COVID-19 and the economic barriers and challenges women face in their families,” said Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of United WE.

The town halls are an initiative of United WE’s recently established Women’s Economic Development Task Force. Moderators asked survey questions and answered participants’ comments.

A major issue was access to the Paycheck Protection Program or PPP loan. According to the Missouri Department of Labor and the National Association of Women Business Owners, only 53 percent of women entrepreneurs had access to PPP loans, compared with 72 percent of women entrepreneurs in Missouri as a whole.

For women entrepreneurs of color, the number was even lower.

“Those who have a relationship with their banker have successfully secured PPP funding,” said Doyle. “But a lot of women don’t have a relationship with their banker, and that’s something that really caught on in town halls.”

The discussion also touched on mentoring, paid time off, access to health care, and an examination of the barriers for women applying for local office.

“Childcare is a huge pain point during COVID. In the best of times, it’s a huge pain point. ”

Kathy Wunderlich

The majority of attendees stated that internet quality and access were not a significant issue for them, but it should be noted that this town hall was held virtually – so those facing connectivity issues may not be able to attend.

However, both rural participants and some from lower-income neighborhoods pointed out that the cost of Internet access can be prohibitive despite the infrastructure in place.

Kathy Wunderlich is a Program Associate of the Hawthorn Foundation and attended City Hall.

“Childcare is a huge pain point during COVID,” said Wunderlich. “In the best of times, this is a huge pain point.”

Concerns about childcare ranged from fear, lack of socialization and educational delays, to expiring subsidies for day care centers.

41 percent of all Missouri counties have no approved childcare facilities. This emerges from a November 2020 report commissioned by thgat United WE from the Institute of Public Policy at the Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs on the economic status of women in Missouri.

United WE will host two more in-person events in October: 11:30 am on October 6th at the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and 11:30 am on October 14th at Truman State University in Kirksville. Free childcare is offered in both.

The next virtual town hall meeting will take place on October 28th from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. You can register for these events at united-we.org/mo-town-halls.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the organization. United WE was founded in Kansas City and is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Her mission is to address systemic barriers women face through research and political advocacy.

To learn more about the organization, visit http://www.united-we.org/ or follow @UnitedWeEmpower.

source https://www.bisayanews.com/2021/09/22/united-womens-empowerment-hosts-town-halls-to-hear-women-workers-concerns/