Most people are unaware that the Broward County Commission passed an ordinance in 2019 adopting the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), often referred to as the women's "Bill of Rights."

 

Broward County Ordinance 2019-35 requires the County Auditor to submit a biennial report to the Commission, focusing on economic development, education, health, and safety. FIU's Jorge M. Perez Metropolitan Center was contracted to prepare the report, dated February 28, 2025. This is the third biennial report, and each one builds on the previous one.

 

The data is primarily from 2022 to 2024, after the COVID-19 pandemic was virtually over and women had re-entered the workforce. While the wage gap initially decreased in 2022 compared to 2021, it increased to 13.8% in 2023. What defies logic, at least to me, is that the wage gap increases if you have a bachelor's degree or higher. A woman in Broward County with a graduate or professional degree earns nearly 32% less than a man. The three occupations with the largest wage gaps in 2023 were law, law enforcement, and healthcare.

 

In terms of health, infant mortality decreased slightly between 2021 and 2023, but maternal mortality increased. Overall, women had lower mortality rates than men for all major causes of death, except for deaths related to stroke and Alzheimer's disease.

 

The full report is available at https://www.broward.org/Auditor/FY2025/Status%20of%20Women%20in%20Broward%20County%20Biennial%20Report%202025%20-%20Report%20No.%2025-12.pdf ; pages 6 and 7 of the report provide an excellent 2-page summary that can be printed and shared.  

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Monica Elliott

LWVBC

President of Voter Services