AAUW of Michigan

You might have seen social media posts over the past year reminding us that women couldn't get credit cards issued in their own name or qualify for business, mortgage, or personal loans without a male co-signer prior to 1974. A married woman would have to provide documentation from a doctor stating that she was using birth control for her income to be considered with her husband's when determining whether a married couple qualified for a mortgage. The legislation that ended this blatant sex discrimination ended on today's date in 1974 when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) was signed into law by President Gerald Ford. Marketplace recounts how feminist advocacy organizations including the National Organization for Women were instrumental in pressing for the legislation. The ECOA led to the creation of today's credit scoring system, which has its own historic and systemic biases against people of color and other disadvantaged groups. The article cautions that if today's credit scoring algorithms with their current biases are fed into AI models, the AI models are likely to perpetuate this discrimination. https://lnkd.in/g2BmeBGv #equalcreditopportunityact #ecoa #creditdiscrimination #discriminationinlending

The Cut from New York Magazine has compiled quotes about power from 25 well-known female leaders from around the world. There's probably at least one quote here that will provide you with hope and inspiration. https://lnkd.in/gwVixUhr #womenleaders #womenandpower #powerfulwomen #quotablewomen

The Mary Jane Legacy Project, named in honor of Mary Jane Patterson, the first Black woman to earn a BA degree in the U.S., has partnered with The Century Foundation to issue a series of reports about "Black women’s post-secondary and post-baccalaureate trajectories to, through, and after college across various institutional types." "Persistence and Resistance: Black Women Navigating Barriers in Higher Education" cites data from AAUW: "According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Black women who attend college are increasingly likely to earn college degrees, with 64.1 percent earning bachelor’s degrees, 71.5 percent master’s degrees, and 65.9 percent doctoral degrees. MJLP data show that the majority of these women attend predominantly white public colleges and universities (56.3 percent), suggesting that these institutions are more successful in recruiting, financially supporting, and matriculating Black women compared to their institutional counterparts, particularly HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions (MSIs). Despite high enrollment at predominantly white institutions (PWIs), these aforementioned barriers significantly impact their mental health, underscoring the severe consequences of lack of protective interventions." Key takeaways from this report: * Despite a system not designed for them, Black women have consistently prioritized and excelled in higher education. * Constantly navigating societal barriers is exhausting and has a profound impact on the mental and physical health of Black women. * Economic disparities hinder Black women's ability to remain competitive and achieve financial stability, limiting their opportunities for rest and restoration —both of which are essential for fostering innovation and promoting wellness. * Policymakers need to pass the Protect Black Women and Girls Act to ensure greater protection and support for the well-being and rights of Black women and girls. https://lnkd.in/gYp8rrqF #blackwomeninhighereducation #higheredbarriers #blackwomencollegestudents #blackwomenstudents

The Mary Jane Legacy Project, named in honor of Mary Jane Patterson, the first Black woman to earn a BA degree in the U.S., has partnered with The Century Foundation to issue a series of three reports about "Black women’s post-secondary and post-baccalaureate trajectories to, through, and after college across various institutional types." Today we focus on "Black Women’s Experiences Financing Their College Education." Key takeaways from this report: * Black women—because they have limited access to wealth due to structural racism and sexism—are more reliant on financial aid to enroll in college, and therefore, on average, carry the largest debt burden of any demographic group of students. * State funding of higher education—particularly of HBCUs—has dwindled over the decades, forcing schools to raise their tuition and fees, disproportionately impacting Black women seeking a college degree. * This report is the first exploration centering the experiences of Black women who have navigated postsecondary and post-baccalaureate pathways to highlight not only the financial barriers they face but also their pathways to access and success. * The report concludes with a suite of recommendations not only to increase access to financial aid at Historically Black Colleges and Universities—a likely destination for many Black women—but also to remove financial barriers to a degree no matter which institution they attend. https://lnkd.in/gr5-cK_V AAUW has extensively publicized the fact that Black women hold a disproportionate amount of student debt in the U.S., graduating with an average of $37,558 in loans: https://lnkd.in/gDcvyZ3c #blackwomeninhighereducation #blackwomencollegestudents #fundinghbcus #financialaid #highereducationfinancing

The Mary Jane Legacy Project, named in honor of Mary Jane Patterson, the first Black woman to earn a BA degree in the U.S., has partnered with The Century Foundation to issue a series of three reports about "Black women’s post-secondary and post-baccalaureate trajectories to, through, and after college across various institutional types." The first report is titled "Centering Black Women’s Experiences Regarding College Choice." Key points from the report: * Black women—because they have had to struggle against not only racism but also sexism throughout American history—have faced more challenges than most when pursuing a college education. * The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admissions practices will result in reduced access to higher education for Black women. * This report is the first exploration centering the experiences of Black women who have navigated postsecondary and post-baccalaureate pathways to surface how and why they choose to attend a college or university. * The report concludes with a suite of recommendations not only to bolster Historically Black Colleges and Universities—a likely destination for many Black women shut out of other schools—but also to support their pursuit of a degree no matter which institution they attend. Read the report: https://lnkd.in/gM7f5VQZ #blackwomenandhighereducation #blackwomencollegestudents #fundinghbcus #choosingacollege

Today we're sharing a public service announcement from the Michigan Secretary of State. Did you know you can check on the status of the absentee ballot you requested or returned? Go to Michigan.gov/Vote to get personalized voting information and track your ballot at each step of the process. You can also sign up for email notifications. #absenteeballottracking #trackyourballot #voterinformation #michiganvoterinformationcenter

"New research reveals that specific language on women’s résumés may impact their hiring prospects, particularly for jobs in male-dominated fields. The studies suggest that avoiding certain words could improve women’s chances of being hired. The recent studies, published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, analyzed more than 2,500 résumés posted on Indeed.com. The résumés focused on six distinct professions—some male-dominated, others female-dominated. Researchers examined how often the résumés included what they call "communal" and "agentic" language. Communal words, typically linked to women, emphasized relationship-oriented traits such as helpful, interpersonal, and caring. In contrast, agentic words—more often associated with men—highlighted qualities like assertiveness, confidence, and ambition. The researchers found that women used more communal words than men in their résumés, regardless of the type of job they were applying for. Interestingly, men and women did not differ in the number of agentic words on their résumés." The researchers suggest that women might need to alter the verbiage they used on their résumés if they want to be hired into leadership positions in male-dominated fields. Maybe the people responsible for hiring those positions also need to be aware of their unconscious bias. https://lnkd.in/gzEAJPfB #genderbiasinhiring #hiringbias #unconsciousbiasinhiring #womeninmaledominatedfields #resumeadviceforwomen

The headline of this report from the Pew Research Center leaves out the stunning fact that at the moment, only 13 of the 193 member states of the United Nations are led by women. How might the world be different if more countries were led by women? https://lnkd.in/epAh2BZg #womenleaders #womenworldleaders

Michigan ATHENA is offering another free webinar on Wednesday, October 23, 10:00-11:00 am EDT. "Fearless Femme: Unleashing Courage in Women Leaders" will offer a thought-provoking conversation on the pivotal role of courage in achieving success for women at work. In this engaging virtual event, Michigan ATHENA will celebrate the strength, resilience, and fearlessness exhibited by inspirational women leaders across diverse fields. Learn why courage is the driving force behind breaking barriers, overcoming obstacles, and achieving extraordinary feats. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gsbZxvCd #michiganathena #womenleaders #womensleadership #womenscourage #fearlesswomen

Gender pay gaps continue to be a problem in higher education. Pay audits, pay transparency, standardizing promotions and improving workplaces are steps that can be employed to identify the extent of disparities and address the problem. AAUW CEO Gloria Blackwell is quoted in this report: "The gender and racial wage gap in higher education stems from 'deeply rooted historical inequalities and systemic barriers' that still influences how colleges hire, promote and compensate faculty and staff, Gloria Blackwell, CEO at the American Association of University Women, said in an email. 'The wage gap is not just about numbers on a paycheck — it’s about a legacy of exclusion that shapes our academic institutions even today,' she said." https://lnkd.in/erMWqHsW #genderpaygap #womeninhighereducation #paydisparity #genderwagegap