La Follette School of Public Affairs
Center for Public Policy and the Status of Women
Wisconsin Women in Government Seminar
Last updated
October 18, 2007
Through the efforts of professor Dennis Dresang, the La Follette School of Public Affairs contributed to Wisconsin Women = Prosperity, a non-partisan, statewide initiative directed by Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton, with the support of Gov. Jim Doyle, to improve the status of women and to drive economic growth for Wisconsin by increasing the success of women. Started in 2003, the initiative organized task forces, forums and a symposium to examine the status of women in Wisconsin. They focused on four key issues: economic sufficiency; health, safety and well-being; education; and leadership and political participation.
Wisconsin Women = Prosperity has its roots in The Status of Women in the States, a biennial state-by-state comparison co-published by the Womens Fund of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington, D.C. In 2002, the report gave Wisconsin an overall grade of C-minus for the quality of life for women.
As a founding partner of Wisconsin Women = Prosperity, the La Follette School contributed research by faculty and students to support the task forces. The research resulted in a statewide strategy to address the four key issues with recommendations described in 12 action papers.
One of those task forces recommended further study into women and mental health. Dresang served on the Lt. Governor's Task Force on Women and Depression, which began its work in 2005 and produced a final report in May 2006, Report on Women's Mental Health in Wisconsin. Dresang and four La Follette School students provided research support, while La Follette School staff contributed to the production of the final report. The recommendation to form the mental health task force was based on a preliminary La Follette report, prepared for the Wisconsin Women = Prosperity June 29, 2004, symposium. The report as the basis for the work by the Lt. Governor's Task Force. A coalition implemented recommendations in 2007. That effort included Dresang and La Follette School students.
2005 La Follette School alum Hilary Shager served as second vice president for Wisconsin Women = Prosperity and as a member of the group’s policy committee. As a La Follette student she and several classmates produced a task force report on math, science and computer education for Wisconsin girls.
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