Money doesn’t make a man.

Nor does it make a nation, according to a recent study, Human Development Trends Since 1970: A Social Convergence Story. Educated women do.

Looking at developments tracing back to the 1970s, researchers George Gray Molina and Mark Purser found the wealth of a nation has less impact on its standard of living than its gender roles do. It seems the more women are allowed to participate in their country, the more that country prospers (no surprise there). The greater decision-making power women are allowed to have regarding issues such as childbirth and their own education, the greater the country performs. “Demographic transitions, urbanization and declining fertility rates have accelerated life-expectancy and literacy achievements over the past half-century,” the authors write. “We believe the underlying drivers of these changes are linked to individual and household-level decisions concerning fertility and female schooling.”

Digging even deeper, the authors state that, “Human development trends fit into a larger story of demographic change since the 1950s, driven by initial levels of human development and changes in fertility and female schooling.” Women and girls, it is proven, can transform entire nations. Those are the implications of investing in them.

http://backspace.com/notes/links/2010/06/girl-power.php

OTHER EXCERPTS:

When the population of literate women was closer to or exceeded that of males, countries tended to have higher life expectancy in 1970. However, this relationship disappears in 2000.

We find that income is not a significant predictor of life expectancy –once we account for urbanization, fertility and female schooling.

Demographic transitions, urbanization and declining fertility rates have accelerated life-expectancy and literacy achievements over the past half-century (UNDESA 2009). We believe the underlying drivers of these changes are linked to individual and household-level decisions concerning fertility and female schooling. Although correlated, we do not find evidence to suggest that human development trends can be explained by factors associated with economic growth. Holding income constant, social factors seem to be driving the aggregate human development story.

By: Eleanor Rooke

Liz Shirey of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University shared her thoughts on the recent conclusion of this year’s NEW Leadership Ohio program:

It’s been almost five days and I’m still buzzing from the emotional high I get from participating in the NEW Leadership Ohio Program.  It is by far my favorite time of the year, and this year’s class did not let me down.  I was amazed at the diversity in the room.  The 2010 class consisted of 29 women ages 19 through 40+, from 17 different colleges and universities and seven different countries, and majors ranging from biological sciences, international business and environmental pre-law to psychology, political science and organizational leadership. 

Some of the highlights from the week include a $tart $mart salary negotiation workshop facilitated by the founder of WAGE (Women Are Getting Even), aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap for every woman in America;   a very intimate and inspiring session with Supreme Court Justice Eve Stratton; a panel discussion about the ups and downs of campaigning and serving in office with Democratic and Republican women currently running for local and statewide elected office;  and a speed networking event with women working in the public and non-profit sectors, co-sponsored by Ohio Women in Government.  Speaking of “networking,” that seemed to be the unofficial theme of the week.  We heard over and over again from our speakers, panelists and facilitators that professional success depends upon the strength of your network, and that it is especially important to build and nurture a network of positive, passionate and supportive women.  One of our participants described it as a “Sister Circle.”  

 We were so honored this year to have Anne Kornblut, Washinton Post political correspondent and author of Notes from the Cracked Ceiling: Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and What it Will Take for a Woman to Win, as a guest on our panel for our keynote dinner.  Joining her were Janet Carson, Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman, and Traci Saliba, former candidate for State Representative in the 2^nd House district.  It was an engaging and enlightening discussion about what is being done to identify and cultivate women to run for office and what it will take for a woman to be President in the near future.

The week came to a very emotional end on Friday.  We started out with time for the women to reflect on their experiences. Many of them responded by saying that they had never been part of such a diverse, supportive, and close-knit group of women.  Some shared personal stories of overcoming shyness while learning to network with women throughout the week; others talked about the ways in which they will take their newly formed leadership tools back home and use them to affect positive and lasting change in their community.  We had more than half of the group announce that they were running for office and the other half volunteering to manage their campaigns.  We also heard an impassioned plea from one woman for everyone to stop and think about giving a financial contribution to support NEW Leadership instead of buying that next cup of coffee from Starbucks or that pair of shoes they don’t need.    As we walked to our closing luncheon featuring guest speaker TaKeysha Sheppard Cheney, founder and CEO of The Women’s Book, the women were exuding confidence and camaraderie, the likes of which I did not expect to see.

Words can’t describe our gratitude to the Women’s Fund for continuing to fund and believe in this program that literally changes lives.  It changed mine, and one of the greatest gifts in my life is being able to share it with other women.  Thank you WFCO for being part of the NEW Leadership Ohio Sister Circle!  

Written by: Liz Shirey

We are happy to announce that applications for our Fall 2010 Grant Cycle are now open. The application process begins with submitting a Letter of Intent. In addition to the LOI, applicants are also invited to attend a grant workshop in order to gain a better understanding of creating a successful grant application. Full grant applications are by invitation only.

This Fall, we are able to award $200,000 in grant partnerships. Funding is available up to $20,000 for Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union Counties.  Thanks to continued generosity in donations, our grant funding is thriving!

For more information about past grant recipients, access to LOI and application forms, and a calendar of grant-related events, please visit the What We Fund section of our website.