There can be no doubt that women are an essential part of the global economy.

Despite all of this, when it comes to participation in the labor markets, women continue to be under represented and underpaid and have less upward mobility than their male counterparts. As civil rights activist and former US Congresswoman Barbara Jordan aptly noted, we as a country can “ill afford to continue to function using less than half of its human resources, brain power, and kinetic energy.” And as the YWCA, we know that, without the “W”, we clearly are working at less than our full potential. For 140 years, we have promoted gender equality and economic empowerment for the women in and around Chicago. We view equality not just as a basic human right but an absolute necessity for our continued success as a country.
 

While many may think of "gender equality" as the right to equal pay for equal work, monetary compensation is only one part of the equation. Full gender equality and economic empowerment require equal access by all women to a variety of rights and opportunities afforded to others including comprehensive health care, affordable child care, career training, and freedom from violence. Nearly one year ago, global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company released a report identifying gender inequality to be high or extremely high on six specific "gender equality indicators”: leadership and managerial positions, unpaid care work, single mothers, teenage pregnancy, political representation, and violence against women. The report concluded the United States could add $4.3 trillion to the economy by 2025 if we achieved true gender equality. In Chicago alone, that number was $58 billion. 
 

At YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, it is our mission to eliminate racism and empower women to help eliminate these inequalities by addressing several of the "gender equality indicators" identified by the McKinsey report. We do this through programs that help women find freedom from violence, access quality education and training, and achieve economic stability. For decades, we have supported the women of Chicago by taking a holistic approach to the challenges they face. In our early days, we provided housing and basic household skills training to help women provide for themselves and their families. Today, we provide a diverse selection of services and programs to give women the tools to empower themselves mentally, physically, and financially.
 

As the largest provider of sexual assault support services in Illinois, through our Sexual Violence Support Services, we not only operate a rape crisis hotline but also provide trauma-informed counseling services and prevention education and training in our communities. Our Economic Empowerment Institute provides women one-on one career services and financial education as well as technology training and business and entrepreneur services. These programs help provide women with access to jobs and also the foundation to establish life long careers. We also prepare our girls (or "future women") for success through our TechGYRLS training that introduces them to STEM fields, building their confidence along with their technical skills. We further provide Family Support Services to complement our other programs by providing women and families with childcare referrals and assistance, young parent education, and supportive housing programs to give them the support needed to achieve their full potential. And, most recently, we launched our Women's Health Exchange to provide women with access to affordable health insurance, education on disease prevention and management, and information on a variety of resources to improve physical, mental, and financial wellness for themselves, their families and communities.
 

It is our hope that, through these services, we can give women the skills and support needed to achieve gender equity and economic empowerment to take themselves and their families from “surviving” to “thrYving.”