Gains, Gaps & Goals: The Status of Women and Girls in Fairfax County

Economic Indicators

From the Study

• The wage gap persists despite women’s gains in education.
• Female heads of households are more likely to be economically vulnerable than their male counterparts.
  • 28% of households are economically vulnerable
  • 44% of these households have children younger than 18.
• Public school girls of color are more likely than boys and white girls to work three or more hours on an average school day.

Community Conversation Insights

• It is expensive to live and raise a family, requiring long work hours.
• Women are community champions who are dedicated to and volunteer in their communities.

Health Indicators

From the Study

• Economically vulnerable women have higher rates of some chronic health conditions, like poor mental health and arthritis, compared to men and obtaining preventive care is a challenge for many women.
• Women ages 18 to 64 and foreign-born women are most likely to be uninsured.
• Women generally have longer life expectancy than men.

Community Conversation Insights

• Many women expressed mental health concerns like isolation and feelings of depression.
• Women with families from other countries expressed great concern for their well-being, had less ability to visit relatives, and felt they had less caregiving support.
• Women noted that not having access to a car made household tasks, including keeping up with medical appointments, much more difficult.

Work-Life Balance Indicators

From the Study

• Employers (businesses, government, nonprofits) play a key role in supporting women and mothers.
• Childcare is a large percentage of income for women and families with young children (8% to 14% for infants and toddlers).
• Asian and Hispanic women are more likely to live in multigenerational households.

Community Conversation Insights

• Support and resources, like quality childcare and teen activities, can improve work-life balance for women.
• Working women often expressed that they were working long hours due to the cost of living in Fairfax County. Some women worked multiple jobs to support families.
• Women stated that caregiving and managing a home are not valued or appreciated in the same way as working for wages.

Policy Recommendations

• Advocate at state and federal levels, for example, increase child and dependent care credit, pilot a living wage, and implement other policies to benefit women and girls.
• Expand state- and county-funded care for children and older populations.
• Enhance outreach and education about benefits and resources available to women and girls in need.
• Assess the need for more community-based organizations to support women.
• Evaluate parental and family leave guidelines across sectors.
• Account for the intersectional nature of gender and racial identity and marginalization through the One Fairfax Equity Policy and Strategic Plan. Establish a gender-specific baseline and integrate strategies in the strategic plan.
•  Advocate for new data discovery and exploration to understand nuances in work-life balance issues, e.g., measuring multiple job holders.