The Case for Change

Statistics on Omaha Women—Over the years, community surveys have underscored the significant challenges faced by women in Omaha.

Women held just 24% of the elected offices in Douglas County in 2009 – down from 34 percent in 1996. – Women's Fund of Omaha
There are no women on the eight-member University of Nebraska Regents Board. – Women's Fund of Omaha
Women held 22.5% of the appointed offices, including judicial positions and boards and commissions, in 2009 – Women's Fund of Omaha
Women make up just 5% of local corporate boards. - Women & Leadership in Omaha 2006 report
Depending on the year, NE ranks 2nd or 3rd for the percentage of women in the workforce and yet we are 49th or 50th in the number of women in management and professions.
- Catalyst
In 2006, 84% of women surveyed said a male-dominated corporate culture was the No. 1 obstacle to their success in the workplace. – Women's Fund of Omaha
75% of women believe women needed to be a little or a lot more qualified than men when applying for the same position. – Women's Fund of Omaha
73% of women surveyed reported a concern for work and family balance. – Women's Fund of Omaha
Women are moving higher in management levels, but remain underrepresented with 80% of CEOs being male. Women represent 33% of those in second-level management and hold 47% of the positions in the third or lowest level of management. – Women's Fund of Omaha

Some 25% of Douglas County women did not begin prenatal care in the first three months of pregnancy (2007). – Our Healthy Community Partnership
7.8% of babies are born with low birth weight (2007). – Our Healthy Community Partnership
Douglas County’s Chlamydia rate is double the Nebraska rate and 50 percent higher than the national average. – Douglas County Health Department
Females represented 73% of Nebraska’s Chlamydia cases in 2007. – Nebraska DHHS
13.8% of adults aged 18 to 64 in Douglas County reported having no insurance coverage for healthcare in 2008. – Our Healthy Community Partnership

74.5% of African-American children in the Omaha area are born to unmarried women. – Empowerment Network
40.5% of African-American children under the age of 5 live in poverty. – Empowerment Network
Among metropolitan Nebraska families, one adult with a preschooler needs $25,224 annually to meet basic needs with no private or public assistance. This would be approximately $12.13 per hour. – Opportunity @ Work
More than one out of four working families with children in America is low-income. In Nebraska, 29 percent of working families are low-income, which ranks the state 26th nationally. – Working Poor Families

If 1,000 African-American students start kindergarten in Omaha, only 188 will graduate from college – an estimated 78 women and 40 men. – Empowerment Network
60% of graduates of local colleges and universities are female. – Women's Fund of Omaha
The overall graduation rate in the Omaha Metropolitan Area is 80%, leaving 20% of students not graduating on-time, having dropped out or having pursued a GED. – Building Bright Futures
In Douglas and Sarpy counties, more than 17,000 children under the age of 5 live in low-income households. 10,184 of these children do not attend state or federally funded early childhood programs such as Head Start. – Building Bright Futures

On Sept. 15, 2010, Omaha service providers served 67 women and 33 children who were victims of intimate partner violence. Nine women and three children seeking emergency shelter had to be turned away. - Intimate Partner Violence in Omaha report
Four domestic violence related homicides occurred in the Omaha metro area in 2009. – Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
More than 10,500 domestic violence 911 calls were placed in 2009. – Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
979 children were present at domestic violence incidents investigated by the Omaha Police Department in 2009. – Domestic Violence Coordinating Council

A survey of local nonprofit agencies found that sexual literacy is the most important issue facing girls. – Women's Fund of Omaha
Key issues facing Omaha girls are sexual literacy, self esteem, emotional /mental health and sexually transmitted diseases. – Women's Fund of Omaha.
Priority issues facing Omaha women – as ranked by a survey of nonprofit agencies - are health insurance, financial literacy, community violence and childcare options. – Women’s Fund of Omaha

Of the 31 homicides that occurred in the first nine months of 2008, 23 were from gun violence, 20 were African-American and 13 were under the age of 24. – Empowerment Network

Home ownership rate in Omaha was 67.9% in 2007, a decrease of 4% from 2004. – Our Healthy Community Partnership

245 births occurred to girls younger than 18 in Douglas County in 2008. – Douglas County Health Department
In 2008 , teens ages 19 and under accounted for 9.2% of all births in Douglas County. – Douglas County Health Department
7.8% of all babies born in 2008 in Douglas County were low birth weight. For mothers 18 and under, this increased to 12.7%. The low birth weight percentage in the 18 and under age group is even higher in some parts of the city, at 18.6% in the East Northeast and 16.8% in the Northeast. – Douglas County Health Department