Click here to view pictures from the October 3rd event.

BC Women's Groups Identify Needs, Share Strategies to Improve Women's Lives. Legislators Applaud Collaboration, Awareness.

On Friday, October 3, six community partners gathered with legislators and citizens to share the outcomes of recent studies they hope will inspire action to improve the lives of women, girls, and families in Bucks County.

"This is the most comprehensive effort by the women's organizations in Bucks County to speak publicly with one voice about the needs and problems of women and girls, and to find women-led solutions to those needs in partnership with each other and with our elected officials," said Nancy P. Morrill, moderator of the forum and 2008 recipient of the Bucks County Women's History Month Award.

Partners included The Bucks County Women's Fund (BCWF), which spent a year listening to area women and girls to understand their needs and priorities, and the Coalition for Women's Economic Justice (WEJ), which produced six issue papers providing in-depth gender analysis of issues affecting women's economic self-sufficiency in Bucks County.  View Reports>> 

Legislators applauded these efforts and the resulting documents that suggest concrete opportunities to promote systemic change. "This will be valuable information for legislators to consider when crafting legislation and casting votes," said State Senator Chuck McIlhinney. "It will also help raise awareness at the community level that there are Bucks County women and girls in need of support."

BCWF and WEJ findings drew attention to significant needs that often go unacknowledged within and outside of Bucks County. Kathleen Welsh Beveridge, executive director of the Bucks County Women's Fund, urged forum participants to use these findings to help "bust the myth" that Bucks County has no needs. "This county's reputation as a place of wealth and privilege often obscures the reality of many who live here," she said. "From all that we have heard over the course of the public forums we conducted last spring, we can say with certainty that it is valid and important to focus efforts and funding here in Bucks County."

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW, echoed this comment. "One of the most important facets of the Women's Fund is its willingness to look beyond the traditional needs of middle and upper class women. Rather, the Women's Fund is accepting of the reality that there are women and girls, in this County, who struggle financially and emotionally. I believe they play a key role in assuring that every community meets the needs of these women who represent various economic classes, racial compositions, and age groups."

Susan Hauser, convener of the Coalition for Women's Economic Justice, emphasized that a major reason for looking at these county-wide issues with a gender lens is the crucial realization that economic challenges affecting our region today are taking their greatest toll on women - many of whom carry primary responsibility for caring for children and other family members, in addition to working outside the home. Hauser also asserted that helping women become economically self-sufficient results in improved outcomes for families and communities.

Donna Byrne, executive director of A Woman's Place and a participant in the WEJ Coalition, agreed. "When women's lives improve, everyone benefits," Byrne said. "I have seen this time and again through my work at A Woman's Place.  I'm excited about bringing the Bucks County community together to discuss these issues and look forward to increasing momentum in addressing the barriers to women's economic self-sufficiency in our region."

Economic self-sufficiency was a primary focus of the BCWF report and the WEJ issue papers, emphasizing the critical need to create more opportunities for women residing in Bucks County to earn a living wage through improved educational opportunities, better transportation, and more access to affordable, quality child care.

"Women are such an important part of our economy and our job market, and we must pursue public policies that are female-friendly if we want to continue to compete in the global market," said State Representative Marguerite Quinn. "That is why I have been promoting a piece of legislation I introduced last fall to provide an employer tax credit to small businesses that offer child care to their employees. Child care should not be a barrier to a woman's economic self-sufficiency."

Although Congressman Patrick Murphy was unable to attend the forum due to a vote on the Emergency Economic Rescue Act in Washington D.C., his Outreach Director, Larry Glick, brought word from the Congressman who applauded the leadership of BCWF, WEJ, and their collaborating partners in "taking steps to create opportunities and remove barriers." A statement from Congressman Murphy said, "While Bucks County Women's Fund and others are leading the way in Bucks County, I am working hard to make sure folks in Washington know how important these priorities are. Among other things, I fought for an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program and voted for billions of dollars in tax relief through the refundable child tax credit.  There is more work to be done, and I am proud to partner with these great organizations."

Other partners in the forum included the League of Women Voters, AAUW, the Bucks County Commissioners' Advisory Council for Women, and the United Way of Bucks County which provided funding for the forum. Representatives of these groups reported that the assessments and the collaboration that has emerged around them are useful in the pursuit of their missions. One partner, AAUW, has been focusing on giving local scholarships to graduating high school seniors and Bucks County Community College women planning to continue on to college. AAUW Doylestown Branch President Carolyn Cowgill said, "We were pleased to be a part of this legislative forum and to consider the well researched needs of Bucks County Women. It helps guide the direction of our work in the local area."