The Commission on the Status of Women is launching a movement to build women's economic power in San Mateo County. This effort started in 2022 with a work plan on financial resiliency, assessing the impact of COVID-19 on women's employment, remote work, childcare, and wages. In 2023, the Commission focused on the wealth gap and the impact of childcare and caregiving on women and families as the top two issues that drive inequity and affect lifelong well-being. In 2024, the Commission will host the RISE Women's Conference in March and then in the fall will submit a report to the Board of Supervisors. The resources below offer insights into the Commission's work plan, countywide surveys and resources created to date. Our goals with these resources and eventual report are 1) to empower our community with information and tools and 2) to equip leaders with recommendations that drive systemic changes to expand safety nets and build more equitable systems.
The following PDFs will be available at the RISE 2024 Women's Leadership Conference for discussion and feedback. The Commission is creating a plan for additional intimate meetings in the summer of 2024 at different locations of the County to engage more feedback as well as provide a way digitally to submit their feedback.
Data on Women in San Mateo County
The following informational pages share data on the wealth gap and the impact of childcare in San Mateo County. Additionally, there are resources and tips to drive change in this area.
RISE 2024 Wealth Gap handout includes the national data on the wealth gap, including how it exacerbates gender and racial inequities and slows economic growth. It describes the three main drivers of the wealth gap specifically for women in San Mateo County.
RISE 2024 What Women Want handout provides solutions and starter resources for women that address the three main drivers of the wealth gap.
RISE 2024 Childcare Information handout describes childcare as a human right and what we learned from surveys and interviews.
RISE 2024 Childcare Data & Resources handout provides facts about childcare in San Mateo County and offers solutions to the roadblocks that hinder change and growth.
Stories from Women in San Mateo County
The stories that County residents and workers shared with the Commission reflect the data and information collected. Learn more about how the wealth gap and lack of childcare has impacted residents of San Mateo County.
RISE 2024 Childcare Impact Stories handout provides stories from parents, educators, and caregivers whose lived experiences demonstrate the need for change in San Mateo County.
RISE 2024 Childcare Partner Stories handout illustrates stories from early childcare providers, nonprofits, and professional development providers and the need to support and value providers and their staff.
How We Started and What We Learned
Financial Learnings
The Financial Learnings Committee seeks to identify how women in the county are falling behind in building and sustaining financial wealth to insure their economic stability. With their specific survey and interviews with executive leaders in the corporate and nonprofit fields, the goal is to identity the top drivers of this financial wealth gap.
Child-Care Impact
The Child-Care and Early Childhood Education Committee is committed to helping increase access to child-care in San Mateo County. The information shared from their survey and interviews with childcare staff, small business owners and parents will inform a report to the Board of Supervisors in support of funding for child-care access and other aspects of caregiving that impact the economic security of women in San Mateo County.
Please contact Tanya Beat at tbeat@smcgov.org with questions or requests for additional information.