Report details social disparities facing women in Central Indiana

While only just over half of the renters in central Indiana are women, they make up more than 60% of the eviction cases.

A report from the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana explores this and other social determinants that affect women in the region.

The State of Women in Central Indiana includes analysis of disparities in areas including housing, financial stability and health as well as how these factors intersect with one another.

The report found that women in the region make 70 cents for every dollar men make, despite more women obtaining college degrees.

Karen Frederickson Comer is the associate director of the Polis Center at Indiana University Indianapolis that helped compile the report.

She said that wage disparity can affect other qualities of life including housing and education.

“The fact that women are more likely to have income constraints, they have less choice in the neighborhoods that they can live in and that, you know, they can choose for their kids,” Comer said. “So that means less choice in terms of the schools that their kids can go to.”

Comer said eviction issues are a key cause of homelessness. She sees more affordable housing, improving the voucher program and increasing tenants rights are possible ways to confront housing disparities for women. 

“And how those might be addressed to reduce evictions and so reduce the risk of homelessness,” Comer said.

She said she hopes the report helps start conversations around ways to address other gender disparities. This year the Polis Center and the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana will host community forums to discuss the issues presented in the report.
 

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org.