The other 51 percent...
ne often overlooked trend in my generation is the increasingly large role Millennial women play in driving economic development. Since the mid 90s, women have dominated in educational attainment, wage growth, and workforce participation while their male counterparts have largely stagnated in these categories. 36 percent of women ages 25 to 29 had a bachelor’s degree, compared with only 28 percent of men in the same age group—a record-high divergence. In 2010, women made up almost half of the labor force--46.7 percent--a number which increases every year. On average women are remaining single for longer periods of time and delaying motherhood as they seek to achieve gains in the workplace and academia. When we think of how to grow Anchorage, diversify the economy, and recruit a resilient workforce, it is abundantly clear that making Anchorage appealing to young women is paramount. Anchorage does have a lot of offer young women in the “Live, Work, Play” realm--from bustling cultural amenities, unparalleled access to the outdoors, relatively high earning potential--but one of the city’s most apparent detractions is women's safety.
The local media likes to tout women who hunt, women who fish, and women who win marathons–all of which are good things. But it obscures the fact that Alaska is inherently unsafe for women, particularly poor and minority women. Due to the oil industry and high wages, Alaska is a good place for women in the workforce, but on almost every other metric Alaska scores dismally. In women’s health and well being, work-family balance, political participation, access to reproductive health providers, and gender violence Alaska
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