DENVER — The Women’s Foundation of Colorado and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research recently released a report called the "Status of Women: Colorado a Snapshot," an overview of the economic indicators for women and policies related to equity.
The report shares statistics and details on how programs and policies like Medicaid, the Colorado Family Affordability Tax Credit, and the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act are impacting women.
The Status of Women report found nearly one in six women relied on Medicaid between 2019 and 2023. According to the report, during that same time frame, one in five households led by women were living in poverty, double the number of households in poverty led by men.
The report also found women who worked full time year-round between 2019 and 2023 earned 80.9 cents for every dollar a man earned.
“We could make the workforce better for women by being a lot more flexible and agile. At the end of the day, we get our work done right? We are constantly multitasking and juggling many things, but what we could also do is really start collaborating with the private and public sectors," said Renee Ferrufino, president and CEO of The Women’s Foundation of Colorado. "Childcare is a significant barrier to women participating in the work force."
A single mom in northern Colorado who asked to keep her last name anonymous said childcare resources would be helpful, especially for those moms trying to enter the workforce.
“I was a stay-at-home mom for many years and primary caregiver to young children, I have three children, and I tried to find creative ways to get into the workforce because I had full childcare responsibilities and no access to childcare,” Hayley said.
Hayley said a healthcare career path and real estate opportunity ended because of her limited availability due to taking care of her children before and after school.
The report also examines the state of healthcare for women.
Colorado had 50 maternal deaths from 2018 to 2022 and infant mortality rates were significantly higher for Black infants than white infants.
Birdie Johnson, the founder of Mama Bird Doula Services said she has firsthand experience with this devastating outcome.
“When I founded Mama Bird, it was actually very deeply personal,” Johnson said.
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Johnson said after experiencing pain and bleeding during her first pregnancy, she went to a local hospital.
“During my first birth, I didn’t know what was going on with my body. I literally bled out in the waiting room and a patron had to interject and tell them, ‘you need to take her back’ as I’m sitting in the emergency room. So, losing my first child, it’s very personal to me,” Johnson said.
For more on the Status of Women report, watch Real Talk on Sunday, March 15 at 5:30pm. All episodes can be viewed here.
