Department on the Status of Women

The Department on the Status of Women aims to ensure equitable treatment and foster the advancement of women and girls throughout San Francisco through policies, legislation, and programs, both within City and County government and in the private sector, that focus on populations in need.

News

* 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Resources:  The Commission held a hearing entitled "The Current Economic Crisis: Impact and Recommendations forSan Francisco’s Women and Girls" on March 25, 2009. Over 75 women from the community participated. Learn more about how the Department is working to ensure the needs of women are being met during the economic crisis and through the Stimulus Act by visiting the Employment and Economics page of this site.   

* The Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute has been nationally recognized! San Francisco has received a National Association of Counties 2009 Achievement Award for our innovative training. 

* 2 New Reports Issued:  The Report on the Status of Women in San Francisco (pdf) brings together selected data relating to women's lives and well-being.  For a quick snapshot, view the Executive Summary (Word) .  The 2009 Census of Domestic Violence Services (Word) outlines the findings of a 24-hour survey of domestic violence service providers conducted by the Department to gain a better sense of the help-seeking patterns of victims of domestic violence.  Find these reports and other Department publications in the Reports section of this site. 

* Check out the Service Directory for Girls (pdf):  The Commission on the Status of Women's Girls Committee teamed up with Assemblywoman Fiona Ma's office to put together this resource list of services for girls inSan Francisco. This useful guide can help young women in San Francisco locate everything from afterschool programs to health and legal services, so take a peek!

* The Department has updated our 2009 Directory of Social Services for Women in San Francisco!  Browse online by category or agency name.  We also have a limited supply of printed copies available at our office. 

* The Department has launched a groundbreaking partnership with the private sector, the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles (GEP) Initiative. To find out more please visit the GEP page.  The United Nations Global Compact is creating a set of Women’s Empowerment Principles based on the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles.    The Global Compact website features the GEP, translated into the 6 official UN languages, and highlightsSan Francisco's GEP tools.

* On March 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls.  Find out more at www.whitehouse.gov.  The Department is so pleased that the needs of women and girls will be prioritized on a national level.

* CEDAW has been in the news recently.  Ms. Magazine put a spotlight on San Francisco's local Women's Human Rights Ordinance in the January 2009 edition.  Read the article now (external link).  Also, the International Museum of Women  documents the power of the CEDAW Ordinance in its online exhibition, Women, Power and Politics, in the article, CEDAW in San Francisco: From International Human Rights to Local Policies for Women (external links). 

Programs

Women's Human Rights

Women's Human Rights Ordinance
CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), a UN Treaty, became a local ordinance in 1998.  Find out about the gender analysis of City departments, the Gender Equality Initiative in the private sector, and more about the local implementation of CEDAW.

Employment & Economics
Providing information to individuals, community organizations, businesses and government related to women and girls' employment. Find out about sexual harassment rights and work-life balance.

Girls
Ensuring the advancement of sound policy that meets the needs of girls.  Find out about the Girls Committee, and read the 2003 Girls Report.

Women's Health and Safety

Violence Against Women
Increasing public awareness and understanding of violence against women. Establishing service delivery systems to those experiencing domestic violence.  Find out about the following programs:
Justice and Courage Project 
Family Violence Council 
VAW Grants Program

Health
Working towards universal health care, and creating equity in access to health care for all San Francisco women.