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Silicon Valley Women Mayors Honored,
Challenged to Improve the Status of Women
Newly Created Center for Women Calls for Greater Focus on Meeting the Economic Needs of Women & Families
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SAN JOSE, CALIF. — At a reception held Thursday, March 29, 2007 to honor six recently elected women mayors on the Peninsula and South Bay Cities, the Cardea Center for Women, the county Commission on the Status of Women, Office of Women’s Policy, encouraged public leaders to implement strategies that alleviate the increasing challenges faced by women in Santa Clara County.
The “Women Making History” reception wraped up events throughout Santa Clara County commemorating Women’s History Month. Hosted by the newly created Cardea Center for Women, the event applauded local women’s participation in leadership and decision-making roles, and called them to action to focus on the economic status, in particular the continued impact of the recent economic recession on Santa Clara County’s most vulnerable women and their families.
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“We have seen a tremendous resurgence in the political leadership of women in Silicon Valley,” stated Lata Patil, Chair of the Santa Clara County Commission on the Status of Women and organizer of the reception. “At all levels, women are squarely seated at the decision making table. This gives us an unprecedented opportunity to create policy and government that works for women and girls.”
An upcoming report from the Commission on the Status of Women highlights some troubling facts about women. The poverty rate for women, especially for single mothers in Santa Clara County, has increased for a third straight year. A single mother with two children needs to earn at least $34.36 per hour, just to provide basic needs such as food, shelter, and childcare and 45 percent of female heads of households with children fall below the self-sufficiency standard.
“Women continue to be the backbone of many families,” said County of Santa Clara Supervisor Liz Kniss, District 5. “As our County continues to face major budget challenges, it is imperative we support innovative alternatives, including creative partnerships within the public and private sector to help them meet their basic needs.”
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Among women who participated in focus groups for the report, language was one of the major barriers cited in gaining employment and a source of discrimination. Seven out of ten women did not have a job and, since 2000, more than half stated that their ability to pay bills had gotten worse. Medi-Cal and Food Stamps were their top two services used in the last year. However, Medi-Cal and Food Stamps were also the top services many of them lost since year 2000.
The focus groups were held to capture the real experiences of a sample of group of women in Santa Clara County, and to illuminate the fact that while the economic recession is technically over, the effects of that recession continue to be felt by low-income women. “During difficult economic periods, women often bear the brunt of cuts in services and programs,” stated Esther Peralez-Dieckmann, Director of the County’s Office of Women’s Policy. “We want to challenge decision-makers to keep the needs of women front and center, whether it is keeping critical programs and services or supporting community efforts, like the Cardea Center for Women, that serve to improve the lives of women and girls.” Currently an online information and referral resource, supporters of the Cardea Center for Women envision the center eventually will become a physical venue.
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“The Roman goddess Cardea symbolizes the sweeping winds of change and the door to opportunity,” stated Joan Goddard, a steering committee member for the Cardea Center for Women. “We seek to partner with organizations and businesses that have enjoyed success in Silicon Valley who want to help open the doors of opportunity to women from all walks of life by helping us establish a physical site.”
Honored at today’s reception were Mayor Kris Wang, City of Cupertino; Mayor Kelly Fergusson, City of Menlo Park; Mayor Laura Macias, City of Mountain View; Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto, City of Palo Alto; Mayor Patricia Mahan, City of Santa Clara and Mayor Aileen Kao, City of Saratoga.
The reception was held at the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles. Of added interest to the public was a current showing of the textile arts and crafts from members of the Footprints Guild, a refugee and immigrant artisans group in the South Bay.
Other key sponsors of the event include Soroptimists International of Los Gatos- Saratoga, and Soroptimists International of Silicon Valley. Supporting organizations include Global Women’s Leadership Network of Santa Clara University's Leavey School of Business, Emerge, and California Women’s Agenda.
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