Overview
2022 Baseline
In 2022, as part of our 20th Anniversary, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC) embarked on a journey to better understand the challenges, opportunities, and needs of women and girls in Howard County. We developed the State of Women and Girls in Howard County as a baseline compilation of existing data through a gender lens, drawing from information published by federal, state, and county agencies as well as public, private, and nonprofit organizations.
Our goals were to:
In 2022, as part of our 20th Anniversary, the Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County (WGC) embarked on a journey to better understand the challenges, opportunities, and needs of women and girls in Howard County. We developed the State of Women and Girls in Howard County as a baseline compilation of existing data through a gender lens, drawing from information published by federal, state, and county agencies as well as public, private, and nonprofit organizations.
Our goals were to:
- Gather existing data and establish baseline information identifying key issues affecting women and girls in Howard County to help inform WGC's grantmaking and broader work.
- Provide a community resource for funders, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, community leaders, and others working to understand and address the needs of women and girls.
Six Areas of Focus
The State of Women and Girls in Howard County was informed by the Maryland Commission for Women's Maryland Women: A Status Report and organized around the same six areas:
Using this framework allowed WGC to look across multiple aspects of women's and girls' lives while connecting our local work to broader statewide research.
The State of Women and Girls in Howard County was informed by the Maryland Commission for Women's Maryland Women: A Status Report and organized around the same six areas:
- Demographics and Diversity
- Work and the Economy
- Education and Educators
- Health and Wellbeing
- Safety and Justice
- Leadership and Political Participation
Using this framework allowed WGC to look across multiple aspects of women's and girls' lives while connecting our local work to broader statewide research.
Research and Methodology
The State of Women and Girls was designed to compile and connect existing information rather than create a new comprehensive research study. We gathered available data on women and girls and, where possible, examined information by gender, race, and ethnicity. We also conducted approximately two dozen interviews with field and research experts to:
From the beginning, we recognized significant limitations in the information available.
These limitations led to one of the central considerations of the original report:
The State of Women and Girls was designed to compile and connect existing information rather than create a new comprehensive research study. We gathered available data on women and girls and, where possible, examined information by gender, race, and ethnicity. We also conducted approximately two dozen interviews with field and research experts to:
- Gather additional information and context
- Elevate women's voices and experiences
- Identify key issues affecting women and girls in Howard County
- Better understand what available data could, and could not, tell us
From the beginning, we recognized significant limitations in the information available.
- Different agencies and organizations collect and report information using different gender, race, and ethnicity categories. Data are not available for every relevant issue, and available information often covers different time periods.
- We also recognized the importance of looking beyond countywide averages. Howard County's overall measures of prosperity and wellbeing do not necessarily reflect the experiences of all women and girls, particularly those experiencing economic insecurity and other disparities.
These limitations led to one of the central considerations of the original report:
- How can we continue to improve the information available about women and girls in Howard County and better understand the experiences that existing data may not fully capture?
From Data to Learning in Action
The 2022 baseline was never intended to be the end of the conversation.
Learn more in our 2026 Update about how WGC has used and built upon the State of Women and Girls since 2022.
The 2022 baseline was never intended to be the end of the conversation.
- Since its launch, WGC has used the State of Women and Girls framework to help inform our grantmaking, priorities, donor education, community engagement, partnerships, and deeper exploration of issues affecting women and girls.
- We have also continued learning from nonprofit partners, young women, donors, funders, community organizations, and the women and families whose experiences help put the data into context.
Learn more in our 2026 Update about how WGC has used and built upon the State of Women and Girls since 2022.
Looking Ahead: 5 Years Later
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"The more we understand about the experiences of women and girls in our community, the better equipped we are to ask the right questions, direct resources where they can make a difference, and keep learning." - Candace Dodson-Reed, WGC Advisory Board Chair
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