The Oregon Woman: Index

What's It Like to Be a Woman in Oregon? The Numbers Reveal a Stark Portrait

From mental health to poverty to domestic violence, our state has some work to do.

By Katelyn Best March 20, 2017 Published in the April 2017 issue of Portland Monthly

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“Oregon women are giving more but getting less,” says Emily Evans, the executive director of the Women’s Foundation of Oregon. She should know—her nonprofit took a 14-stop tour of the state last year, talking to more than a thousand women and girls about their lives. The project captured a stark portrait of the people who make up more than half of the state’s population. We’ve got some work to do.

12k

Approx. number of calls to Oregon crisis lines and sexual assault response services by survivors of sexual violence in 2015*

36

Percentage of Oregon women under 35 with a bachelor's degree (compared with 28 percent of men of the same age group)

35¢

Total assets owned by women in Oregon for every dollar in assets owned by men, the second-largest gender gap in the nation

29

Number of Oregon counties (out of 36) with no abortion providers as of 2016

1

Oregon’s ranking, nationally, in reported incidence of depression experienced by women

1/3

Proportion of women of color who live in poverty in Oregon, roughly double the rate of poverty for white women

58

Percentage of eligible Oregon women who voted in the 2014 general election, higher than both men in Oregon and women in nearly all other states

1/5

Proportion of women experiencing homelessness who report domestic violence as a primary reason for their housing issues

$11,322

Average annual cost of day care for an infant in Oregon, one of the least affordable rates in the nation

*According to a study by the state’s Department of Human Services Child Safety Unit. All other statistics culled from WFO’s 2016 Count Her In report.

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