Members of the Junior League of New Orleans volunteering at their Diaper Bank. The Diaper Bank raises the community’s awareness of the “diaper need,” host diaper drives, buy diapers at a highly discounted rate, and provide volunteer support for sorting, packing, distributing, and storing diapers.
In partnership with Tulane University, the study will identify strengths, weaknesses, and room for policy innovation and action.
NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 16, 2023) – As the Junior League of New Orleans (JLNO) prepares to commemorate 100 years of engagement among women in Greater New Orleans, the organization in partnership with the Newcomb Institute at Tulane University and the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science has commissioned a study on the state of women in New Orleans in time for Women’s History Month in March 2024.
The 100th Anniversary Junior League Report on the Status of Women in New Orleans will analyze the overall health, economic, and social wellbeing of women in the metropolitan area. The study will examine data related to women’s health, wages, access to housing, crime and law enforcement, voter registration patterns, and representation in office.
“In its 99-year history, the Junior League of New Orleans has played a vibrant role in the New Orleans community, advancing the potential and wellbeing of women, promoting healthy families, and helping to rebuild and respond after natural disasters,” said JLNO President, Ashley Cangelosi Llewellyn. “In an effort to reflect on JLNO’s impact thus far and boldly consider our next century of service, JLNO is undertaking our Status of Women report to inform and guide our community service and collaborative partnerships for years to come.”
In 2013, JLNO adopted a new focus area of Advancing the Wellbeing of Women to tackle the strategic goals of improving economic opportunities for women and supporting women’s potential to seize those opportunities, providing needed family support to alleviate the burdens on women caregivers and promoting information and resources for women’s health, allowing them to live healthy and happy lives.
Notable initiatives of this focus area include the Junior League of New Orleans Diaper Bank, founded in 2014 to raise awareness of the one and two families who struggle to purchase clean, dry diapers for their babies. Last year, the League was part of the coalition advocating for the repeal of the state’s pink tax and providing a state sale and use tax exemption for the sale or purchase of feminine hygiene products and diapers for individual use.
In 2016, Tulane University issued its first Status of Women Report as a 10-year post-Hurricane Katrina impact study. The report revealed that many women were left behind during the positive economic changes following the hurricane, including earning wages less than men and being less likely to participate in high-growth sectors of the economy and housing markets.
“Our goal at the Newcomb Institute is to support academic scholarship and training of scholars to advance gender equity and to do so in ways that can directly benefit our local community and state,” said Anita Raj, Ph.D., M.S., executive director of the Newcomb Institute of Tulane University. “We are honored to partner with JLNO on this report on the Status of Women in NOLA and offer an analysis of data that can be used to support women and children in our city.”
“Although the faces have changed through the years, the commitment to building a better Metropolitan New Orleans has thrived as it has been passed down from generation to generation of members,” said Llewellyn. “Many of our initial programs still exist, while others have been so successful, they now stand on their own, allowing the organization to respond to the changing needs of today’s New Orleans with innovative projects and initiatives.
“This partnership with the Newcomb Institute provides access to incredible data which will guide our efforts to enhance and create community projects and provides the foundation to bring together various organizations who are aligned in addressing the specific needs identified to truly advance the wellbeing of women in Greater New Orleans,” Llewellyn continued.
The oldest all-female volunteer organization in the metropolitan area, JLNO officially launched on March 31, 1924, with 40 women dedicated to making a difference in the local community. Today, as it prepares to turn 100, the organization has nearly 1,800 local members and is the 10th largest Junior League in the world.
The 100th Anniversary Junior League Report on the Status of Women in New Orleans is expected to be released in time for the League’s annual Women’s Leadership Summit, which will be held on March 8, 2024. JLNO will present the findings in celebration of its 100th anniversary, as the launch of a yearlong convening of thought partners from across the region to develop initiatives to collaboratively address needs identified in the study.
To learn more about JLNO, visit jlno.org.
