Status of Women in the States and Self-Sufficiency Standard 

The Status of Women in the States 2015

The Women’s Foundation of Colorado sponsored the the 2015 release of The Status of Women in the States research report by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR).The report presents hundreds of data points for each state across seven areas that affect women’s lives: employment and earnings; political participation; poverty and opportunity; reproductive rights; health and well-being; work and family; and violence and safety. Read the full report

Through this data, IWPR identified areas of progress for women in states across the nation and pinpointed where additional improvements are still needed, calculating a composite index, ranking states from best to worst, and assigning a letter grade based on the difference between the state’s performance in that area and goals set by IWPR (e.g., no remaining wage gap or the proportional representation of women in political office). See how Colorado fared

The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2015

The Women's Foundation of Colorado sponsored The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2015 and Overlooked & Undercounted 2015: Struggling to Make Ends Meet prepared by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, which defines the income needed to realistically support a family, without public or private assistance. For most workers throughout Colorado the Self-Sufficiency Standard shows that earnings well above the official Federal Poverty Level are still far below what is needed to meet families' basic needs. See what it takes a Colorado woman to meet her family’s basic needs.

WFCO strives to ensure all women have the opportunity to achieve economic self-sufficiency. The updated Self-Sufficiency Standard and Status of Women provide essential information to guide this work by clarifying and measuring the inequities that create barriers for Colorado women and girls.  These details help agencies and organizations determine income qualifications and areas of most need for resources and make the path to self-sufficiency more clear.