Rising out of the Pandemic

April 2021

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Effect on Women

Dear Friends,

Since last spring, communities across Montana and the globe have been impacted by supply chain shortages, school and daycare closures, job losses, and more. This is all in addition to the health impacts that come from experiencing a global pandemic. Women have been some of the most impacted by these changes and continue to experience many inequities that have only been exacerbated by COVID-19.

Staff at the Montana State University Jake Jabs School of Business and Entrepreneurship details some of these findings in a recent research paper, Women and the Weight of a Pandemic: A Survey of Four Western U.S. States Early in the Coronavirus Outbreak. The findings come from a survey conducted in Montana and three other states and show that during the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been “disproportionately affected by mental load, workplace disruptions and impacts on daily life, especially women with children.”

With this knowledge at hand then, how do we support women in our lives and in our state? Here are some tangible ways:

Support a woman-owned business in your town.
Offer to watch the kids or go to the store for a friend or family member in need.
Employers can support their employees by offering flexible schedules, paid leave, and even remote work. Learn more about helping your employees here.

As vaccines are distributed to the general population across Montana and the nation, we look to emerge from this pandemic and face the aftermath of a global health crisis. While it means we can soon put some of our COVID-19 struggles behind us, there is still much work to be done to address the issues and inequities that face Montana women in our state, brought even more to light by remote work, unemployment, and remote education amid a pandemic.

Together we can do more to create a better work-life balance for working parents, especially our mothers and matriarchs. Together we can ensure all Montana women and girls have what they need to succeed now and in a future crisis.

Sincerely,

Kali Wicks

WFM Committee Chair

WFM and PowerHouse News

Kylie Gursky to Join MCF as WFM Program Officer

On May 3, Kylie Gursky joins our team as Program Officer for the Women’s Foundation of Montana, a component fund of MCF that works to advance women’s economic independence and create a brighter future for girls in Montana. Kylie comes to us from Montana Women Vote and has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit industry. She also previously worked at the Montana Human Rights Network and the Social Justice Fund (Seattle). In this position, Kylie will raise funds to support WFM and carry out the programmatic priorities of the fund around grantmaking, advocacy, and research.

Governor Gianforte has Signed HB 624 into Law

On April 18, 2021, Governor Gianforte signed HB 624 into law. The bill will establish a task force of business leaders to make recommendations to incentivize employer-supported early childcare and improve childcare access and affordability for employees enhancing business performance and workforce development. Funder for Montana’s Children, a group of Foundation leaders, has committed to covering all costs of the work task force so there is no financial impact to the state within the bill. Learn More.

Blogs and Other Reading

An anonymous donor has pledged $80,000 in matching funds to support COVID recovery efforts in Montana

An anonymous donor has pledged $80,000 in matching funds to support COVID recovery efforts, particularly in rural and tribal Montana communities, if the Montana Community Foundation (MCF) can raise the same amount by the end of May.

All contributions made to the Montana Disaster Relief Fund before June 1 will not only help your fellow Montanans affected by COVID-19 but will also have double the impact through this dollar-to-dollar match.

The Montana Disaster Relief Fund has already received $350,000 in COVID-19 support. Meeting this match translates to $500,000 to benefit recovery needs in Montana’s vulnerable communities.

Learn More!

More women than men getting coronavirus vaccines

“More women than men are getting COVID-19 vaccines, even as more men are dying of the disease examined vaccination dashboards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in early April and found that each of the 38 that listed gender breakdowns showed more women had received shots than men. Public health experts cited many reasons for the difference, including that women make up three-quarters of the workforce in health care and education, sectors prioritized for initial vaccines.”

"The females in family are often the ones who are more proactive about the health of their family."

Mary Ann Steiner

Read More!

PowerHouse Montana Events Calendar

Join us on May 6-7, 2021 for Missoula Gives, a yearly giving day to support Missoula community non-profits. You can support the Women’s Foundation of Montana during this online event here.

Have an event to submit to WFM? Email wfmontana@mtcf.org

Have You Updated your PowerHouse Profile Lately?

One great feature of the new Powerhouse Montana website is the ability to edit your own profile. Make sure your information is up-to-date here.

Women in the News

2 Bills to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Signed into Law

“Two bills from Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy, D-Crow Agency, meant to strengthen the state's ability to address the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous people, became law Monday, April 19^th. House Bill 35 creates the Missing Indigenous Persons Review Commission, which will be under the Department of Justice. House Bill 98 extends the funding for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force and the Looping in Native Communities (LINC) grant program to 2023, which was first created in the 2019 legislative session.” Read on.

Montana’s Tracy Stone-Manning tapped to lead Bureau of Land Management

“President Joe Biden intends to nominate National Wildlife Federation senior adviser and veteran Montana Democrat Tracy Stone-Manning to direct the Bureau of Land Management, an individual familiar with the process confirmed to States Newsroom Wednesday, April 14.” Read on.

U.S. Women’s Team Clears Hurdle to Reviving Equal Pay Fight

“A judge approved a settlement between U.S. Soccer and its women’s team in their dispute over working conditions, allowing the players to resume their legal battle over compensation.” Read on.

Montana Recognizes Seventeen High School Women for Computing Achievements

“As part of an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology, the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), NorthWestern Energy, and Carroll College recognized 17 Montana high school women from 11 high schools for their accomplishments and aspirations in computing and technology. Avery Skibicki of Helena High School was also awarded a National Honorable Mention, which is a rare achievement for a Montana student.” Read on.

Leadership Opportunity Roundup

Governor Greg Gianforte continues to seek women leaders to fill board positions. Find available openings here and email Liane Taylor, the State Boards and Appointments Advisor, for more information.

The Governor is also looking for Montanans who are interested in serving the state in an official capacity in the next four years. If you have an interest in being a part of the new administration or serving on a state board or committee, you can apply to serve through a new website, servemontana.com.

At the Women's Foundation, we are always advocating for more women in leadership and we would be thrilled to see a large number of women in leadership for Montana in the new administration. Please consider applying yourself, and sharing with the powerhouse women in your life!