Happy Women’s Equality Day! Today, August 26th, we celebrate the steps that we’ve made in efforts to reach total equality between women and men. This day became a commemorative day in 1973, when Rep. Bella Abzug advocated for its passage in Congress, honoring the day that the 19th Amendment was rendered official.
On August 26th, 1920, Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed into proclamation the 19th Amendment, after it was ratified on August 18th, giving women full and equal voting rights
Here at Alvis, we value the #180DegreeImpact that our women make on a daily basis—both staff and clients. Many of our staff members are women who work in the administrative offices at Stella, as well as our houses and locations for clients in programs involving corrections, behavioral health, and developmental disabilities. Our Amethyst program, CHAT house, and parts of our Family and Children’s Program specifically serve women, requiring female-led teams, which allow women clients to undergo their journey to reentry and recovery in a comfortable, supportive community of women staff and peers who can relate to their issues and empathize with them during treatment.
According to statistics cited by Shelley Zalis, determined by a nationwide survey, there is a near 50/50 divide between women and men when it comes to which gender is the primary breadwinner in a family, and the percentage that each gender contributes to the nation’s workforce. This proves that we’ve come a long way in the gender gap; however, we still have a ways to go before total equality is achieved across our nation and in our workplaces.
Columbus’ Mayor Ginther started a pay equality initiative called the Columbus Commitment, as an effort to alleviate gender-based inequities. “Alvis is a part of the Columbus Commitment. The goal is to achieve pay equality” says Toni Smith, Alvis’ Interim Managing Director of HR. “It is always the goal to not discriminate or be biased one way or the other.”
Along with other parts of the country, Denise Robinson, President and CEO of Alvis, has kept us moving in the right direction. Under her leadership, we more than doubled our revenue between the years 2012 and 2017, and we’ve seen huge forms of growth in our services and programming. Alvis is proud to be an organization that values women as valued workers, collaborators, and leaders.
Alvis is a nonprofit human services agency with over 50 years of experience providing highly effective treatment programs in Ohio. Our vision is that communities value a person’s potential more than their past. For more information on how Alvis can help you or to learn more about how you can get involved, contact us here.