Living in a Healthy Community

The Report Card defines women's health holistically to emphasize that it is affected by the broader social context and communities in which women live. Thus, the Report Card defines women's well-being as occurring when a woman’s mental, physical, social, economic, political, educational, and environmental quality of life allows her to pursue her full potential. The status indicators in this section address many of these factors that are vital to women’s health.

Overall Health

Economic Security and Education

A woman’s inability to afford health care services, health insurance, safe housing, nutritious food, and other basic necessities seriously compromises her health and well-being. Graduating from high school and college significantly improves a woman’s health and well-being, both by opening the door to greater economic security, and by providing the literacy skills necessary to navigate the health care system. The Report Card considers three critical measures of women’s economic security and educational attainment: the number of women living in poverty, the wage gap between men and women, and the percentage of women graduating from high school.