MU Joins the Women’s Foundation in Research Partnership to Examine Status of Missouri Women

Research to reveal areas of need to improve lives of Missouri families

Oct. 16, 2014

Story Contact(s):
Nathan Hurst, hurstn@missouri.edu, 573-882-6217

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri and The Women’s Foundation have announced a research partnership with the goal of improving the lives of Missouri families. The Women’s Foundation has already begun conducting focus groups around the state, as MU researchers have been crafting an innovative research database operated by the Center for Applied Research in Economics (CARES). The CARES database combines economic and social data from around the country in a single, easy-to-access online portal.

“The support from The Women’s Foundation will allow us to access and analyze this resource to identify important indicators about the status of women in Missouri,” said Jacqueline Schumacher, a policy analyst in the Institute of Public Policy (IPP) in the MU Truman School of Public Affairs and leader of the research project. “This research will help us identify potential areas of improvement where the lives of Missouri women and their families can be improved.”

Researchers from the IPP are working with experts across the MU campus to examine the status of Missouri women in five key areas:

• Employment and income
• Education and childcare
• Social and economic
• Health
• Leadership and public engagement

The research will identify specific areas of need for Missouri women and will provide The Women’s Foundation with actionable items that can be addressed locally and at a state level to improve the lives of Missouri families.

“The Women’s Foundation’s partnership with MU will provide an innovative research tool and data-driven context for policies that can help advance positive change for Missouri women and their families,” said Wendy Doyle, president and chief executive officer of the Women’s Foundation. “By exploring the unique issues faced by Missouri women, we will be better able to address those challenges in our communities.”

The action items identified by the MU researchers following the project will be publically released on Dec. 5 in Kansas City. This project was commissioned by The Women’s Foundation.

The Women’s Foundation invests in the success of women and girls and is the only Kansas City-area organization addressing women’s issues as a whole, using research to identify the areas of greatest need and targeting action and funding to make meaningful change to lift up women, their families and entire communities.  More information about the organization, its values and programs can be found at http://www.wfgkc.org.