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Commission for Women Fact Sheet

The Fairfax County Commission for Women was established in 1971 and is tasked with advising the Board of Supervisors (BOS) on ways to promote the full equality of women and girls in Fairfax County.
The Commission is comprised of 12 Commissioners: 9 Commissioners represent their County magisterial district (appointed by the Supervisor for that district); 1 at-large Commissioner and 1 minority at-large Commissioner (both appointed by BOS Chairman); and 1 student representative (selected through a competitive process). The Commission meets on the second Monday of every month (except August) at 7:00 pm.
Early in the Commission's history, the Commission helped establish the Human Rights Commission (now affiliated with the Office of Human Rights and Equity Programs), the Women's Shelter (now Artemis House), the Women's Re-entry Center (a career development center for women re-entering the workforce), and the Victim/Witness Program (now the Victim Services Section of the Police Department).
The Commission is also a leader in creating many Fairfax County employment policies favorable to women and families. Related reports include: Job Sharing Policies and Practices for Fairfax County Employees; Managing Work and Family: Bottom Line Issues for Fairfax County Employees; Gender Distribution on Fairfax County Boards, Authorities, and Commissions; Breaking Barriers: Women’s Achievement in Fairfax County Government (a report of the Glass Ceiling Task Force).
The Commission conducts research on issues related to women and girls and promotes research findings and policy recommendations via testimony to the BOS and published reports. A few report titles: Quality and Equality: A Study of the Fairfax County Public School System; Battered Wives; The Courts and Sexual Assault; Separation and Divorce Information; Spanish Resource Guide for Women; Summer Tech Resource Guide for Girls; Women Business Owner's Directory.
Current projects of the Commission for Women include:
- Representation on the County’s Domestic Violence Prevention Policy Coordinating Council (DVPPCC)
- Assistance in the creation of the Fairfax County’s Domestic Violence in the Workplace policy
- Verizon Wireless HopeLine Project (collecting used cell phones and accessories to benefit the county’s domestic violence shelter, Artemis House)
- Women’s History Month event
- Turning Point Suffragist Memorial
- Policy Committee on Affordable Housing for Domestic Violence victims
- Ongoing coordination with the Office for Women & Domestic and Sexual Violence Services
- Ongoing advocacy for issues related to women and girls to the BOS regarding the County’s budget, legislation and programming.