PCSW Launch of The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Connecticut’s Women: A Statewide Data Collection Initiative
Update 10/5/20 The survey is now live! To take the English survey click here, para contestar la encuesta en español haz clic aquí
The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women in Connecticut (the “PCSW”), a bipartisan organization, is proud to announce the launch of a statewide data collection initiative entitled The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Connecticut’s Women (the “Data Collection Initiative”). The first statewide initiative of its kind, the Data Collection Initiative will compile quantitative and qualitative data to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the economic security of Connecticut’s women from March 2020 to the present.
The two-part initiative will begin with an online, bilingual survey entitled “Impact by the Numbers.” The survey has approximately 30 questions and may be completed in under 5 minutes. The survey assesses all aspects of economic security, including impact on income, employment, housing, healthcare, the effect of childcare considerations on employment, and other variables. The data is further enhanced by demographic questions intended to measure the intersectional impact of COVID-19 by race, age, income level, educational level and other factors. The second part, entitled “Tell Your Story”, launching in October, consists of 6 public Zoom forums, across all 8 of Connecticut’s counties, which are open to the public. Forums provide participants the opportunity to highlight the most significant impacts of COVID on them, in their own words. The Initiative will culminate in a report in early 2021, which will be disseminated broadly to the Governor’s office, legislators, non-profits, service providers, employers, women's groups, and citizens.
According to Tina Courpas, Executive Director of the PCSW, ”We believe that gathering the facts is the first step to effectively addressing this issue. There is no such data available today on the impact of COVID-19 on women’s economic security in our state. While there are many important and multi-faceted implications of COVID-19, economic security is fundamental for women’s, and all persons’, ability to manage many other aspects of their lives, and that is why it is our focus.” Susan D. Toliver, Ph.D., CFLE, Board Member of the PCSW, and Professor Emerita of Sociology and Co-coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program at Iona College, is assisting in the survey work. According to Dr. Toliver, “The quantitative and qualitative aspects of the survey are designed to create a comprehensive picture of the impact of COVID on the state’s women. I believe that the results will be informative and invaluable.”
The survey will be disseminated broadly throughout Connecticut with the goal of reaching as many of the state’s women as possible. In June, the PCSW published the “2020 Directory of Women’s Organizations in CT”, a comprehensive directory of over 200 women’s organizations in the state. Through the organizations listed in the Directory, among other channels, the survey will be distributed across counties, income levels, housing situations, age, race, and other metrics. Ms. Courpas emphasized that, “it is important to reach as many of Connecticut's women as possible so that all voices can be heard.”
According to U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, a PCSW Advisory Board Member, “The PCSW is addressing a great need and providing a valuable service to Connecticut’s women. The PCSW’s legacy as a state agency has been to provide a research-based, bipartisan approach to helping women and girls. The Data Collection Initiative is a valuable continuation of that legacy to address one of the most pressing issues we face today.”