Connecticut Ranks #12 in Child Homelessness Risk and Response, National Numbers at All-Time High

A new report finds 2.5 million children experienced homelessness in the United States in 2013, representing one in every 30 children in the country - an historic high in the number of homeless children. The report by Homeless Children America at the American Institutes for Research, called America’s Youngest Outcasts, documents the number of homeless children nationally and in every state, their well-being, their risk for child homelessness, and state level planning and policy efforts. It used the most recent U.S. Department of Education count of homeless children in U.S. public schools, which was released in September, and on 2013 U.S. Census data.

From 2012 to 2013, the number of children experiencing homelessness annually in the U.S. increased by 8 percent nationally. The number of homeless children also increased in 31 states and the District of Columbia and in 13 of those states, it increased by 10 percent or more.

Connecticut’s child homeless number was virtually unchanged.  The report examined childhood homelessness on a state-by-state level, ranking the states from 1 (best) to 50 (worst). Connecticut’s overall ranking was #12.

The top 11 states were Minnesota, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Iowa, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Maine and Maryland.

For Connecticut, the report shows there were 5,508 homeless children during the 2012-2013 school year. That is virtually identical - down  by four children - from the 2011-2012 data, and nearly 200 less children than in 2010-11. Connecticut, based on those numbers, ranked #1 in the nation 2012-2013 in the “extent of child homelessness” category.

The state ranked #17 in policy and planning, based on factors including the number of emergency and transitional housing units for homeless families, and state planning efforts.

The 130-page report, which will be presented to Congress, at a briefing scheduled for February 10, listed six causes of child homelessness nationwide:

• the nation’s high poverty rate
• lack of affordable housing across the nation
• continuing impacts of the Great Recession
• racial disparities
• challenges of single parenting
• the ways traumatic experiences, especially domestic violence, pave the way toward and prolong homelessness

“Without decisive action now, the federal goal of ending child homelessness by 2020 will soon be out of reach,” said Dr. Carmel DeCandia, Director of the Boston-based National Center on Family Homelessness at American Institutes for Research. “Living in shelters, neighbors’ basements, cars, campgrounds, and worse—homeless children are the most invisible and neglected individuals in our society.”

According to the report, research shows that homeless children are hungry and sick more often. They wonder if they will have a roof over their heads at night and what will happen to their families. Many homeless children struggle in school, missing days, repeating grades, and drop out entirely.

Up to 25% of homeless pre-school children have mental health problems requiring clinical evaluation; this increases to 40% among homeless school-age children. Homelessness, especially in young children, may also lead to changes in the brain, which can interfere with learning, emotional self-regulation, cognitive skills and social relationships.

The report also recommends a series of “effective responses” to child homelessness:

• Safe, affordable housing.
• Comprehensive needs assessments of all family members.
• Family-oriented services that incorporate trauma-informed care.
• Identification, prevention, and treatment of major depression in mothers.
• Parenting supports for mothers.
• Education and employment opportunities for parents.
• Further research to identify evidence-based programs and services for children and families.

The National Center on Family Homelessness, founded in 1988, is described as the nation’s foremost authority on child and family homelessness, using research and evidence-based approaches to prevent and end family homelessness.

2016 US Gymnastics Championships Back in Hartford, All About the Men

Connecticut residents watching the televised coverage of the men’s and women’s gymnastics competitions at the 2016 Olympics from Rio de Janeiro will likely see some familiar faces.  The run-up to the Olympics will come through Hartford that summer, as USA Gymnastics rolls out a new split schedule for the men and women, which will bring the mens’ National Championships to the XL Center, and the women for a pre-Olympic competition. For the first time since 1976, the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in gymnastics will be held on different days, in different cities.  The women's gymnastics trials has been awarded to San Jose, and the men's trials to St. Louis, to be held in late June and early July.

The trials will follow the U.S. Championships, which will also be held in different cities.  The men’s championships will be held in Hartford, June 3-5, 2016.  The women will also be in town, competing in the Secret Classic – a major pre-Olympic event.  The women will move on to their national championships three weeks later in St. Louis.

Why the new event pairings and tradition-breaking schedule?  It’s all about the men.

In an effort to boost the mens’ team’s chances in the 2016 Olympics, and increase public interest in the team, the competition schedule has been revised.  USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny explained in published reports that the organization moved up the men's trials to give the team more recovery time before the Rio Games. The U.S. men earned the top score in qualifying at the 2012 London Olympics but dropped to a disappointing fifth in the team finals. The men will have about six weeks to prep between the trials and the Olympics, which begin on Aug. 5, 2016, compared with four between the trials and the games in 2012.

Performance and notoriety go hand-in-hand.  Despite having earned a Silver Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, for example, American gymnast Jonathan Horton did not become a household name in the U.S.  That’s not surprising, as the public generally is more focused on the women’s teams competing in the Olympics every four years.

“People think gymnastics, and they think little girls in leotards, powerful and graceful, and they forget about our side,” Horton recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Right now, there’s this stereotype that we’re not a masculine sport. All of us are trying to change that image that it’s a sissy sport. It’s not.”

The Post-Gazette noted that in most other countries where gymnastics skills are cultivated, the men are still more popular than the women. Because of that, Penny noted, there is more depth among the men in international competitions, which has made it tougher for the U.S. team to bring home medals with the same frequency as the women’s team.

Inside Gymnastics magazine reported last year that “in the NCAA, men’s teams are losing funding while women’s teams are being created,” adding that “The reality is - boys’ gymnastics has never been as popular as girls’ gymnastics.”

Only six states sponsor a high school boys gymnastics championship, and only 17 Division I colleges still support men’s gymnastics programs, the newspaper reported. USA Gymnastics is making a concerted effort to reward male gymnasts who are competing in club programs at the high school and college level with recognition for their effort, Penny told the Post-Gazette. “There’s always been more sport opportunities for young men than there were for women. The role models for women always stand out. For men, it’s a more cluttered sports landscape.”

There’s little doubt about the popularity of gymnastics during the Olympics.  After the 2012 Olympic Games in London, there was an analysis of the sports and athlete mentions on Twitter, which revealed that there were more than 150 million Summer Games tweets. According to Twitter, the sport which saw the most Twitter conversation was soccer with well over 5 million Tweets.  Rounding out the top five were swimming, track & field, gymnastics and volleyball.

USA Gymnastics tends to return to cities that have been successful hosts previously for major gymnastics competitions, and that is true for San Jose, St. Louis and Hartford.  The XL Center has hosted the USA Gymnastics national championships twice: in 2010 and 2013.  Neither was an Olympic year.  2016 will be.

2016 Competition Schedule

Men

• National Championships, Hartford, June 3-5
• Olympic Trials, St. Louis, June 23-26

Women

• Secret Classic, Hartford, June 3-5
• National Championships, St. Louis, June 23-26
• Olympic Trials, San Jose, July 8-10

Economic Development Awards Recognize Innovation, Growth and Jobs

There are some economic development gems in Connecticut that have somehow managed to largely escape public attention, even as their businesses have grown and employment levels increased.  The companies were among 20 recipients at the annual Connecticut Economic Resource Center "Celebrate Connecticut" program, which recognizes "a broad range of individuals, companies and programs that have uniquely contributed to economic growth in Connecticut." Recipients ranged from individuals, including Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary and North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda, to the Seymour Fish Bypass, Durham Agricultural Fair Association (the largest fair in North America managed entirely by unpaid volunteers), and Five Point Gallery in Torrington.  But the bulk of the honorees were businesses - more small than large- with solid economic development stories to tell.  Among them:

Tower Laboratories is a leading provider of effervescent products in the United States and supples to distributors worldwide.  The company provides the fizz and bubbly sensation that gives products an edge, both in effectiveness and product appeal.  Located in Centerbrook in Middlesex County, they develop and man;manufacture over-the-counter medications, prescription pharmaceuticals and personal care, beverage and household products.

Belimo Air Control USA employees 300 people in Danbury, and recently moved into newly constructed headquarters.  Belino's products are essential components of the HVAC systems that keep indoor air comfortable, healthy, efficient and safe.  Prominent customers are not only in the U.S, but worldwide.

Polamer Precision is an advanced contract aerospace manufacturing firm that has just completed a 152,000 square-foot facility in New Britain.  The company will employ 83 highly skilled workers in this new facility, which will allow the company to increase its output and handle larger contracts.  It will also feature the largest industrial solar power generation system in Connecticut.

Recognized programs and organizations  include the Rowley Spring Adult Education Diploma and Certificate Program, Billings Forge Community Works, Northwest Connecticut Manufacturer's Coalition, the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, Fiddleheads Natural Food Co-op and the Putnam Business Association's First Fridays event.

"These awards pay tribute to the hardworking people and successful programs and projects that are stimulating new jobs and investment in our economy,” said CERC President and CEO Robert Santy. “CERC is proud to recognize the 2014 honorees and the many successes making a positive impact on our business environment.”  The awards were presented by state Economic and Community Development Commissioner Catherine Smith and Shelly Saczynski, Chair of the CERC Board.

Officials noted that a number of the businesses receiving awards began in local basements or with homegrown talent and have grown to successful enterprises.  Danbury-based Mediassociates, for example, has seen 30 percent growth over the past 10-plus years and was highlighted as one of the top 3,000 fastest growing privately owned businesses in America by Inc. magazine.  Datto, Inc., headquartered in Norwalk with nearly $50 million in revenue in 2013, and more than 300 employees, began in a basement as nothing more than an idea.

Among the innovative programs recognized was the Stamford 2030 district, a private-sector-led initiative of 23 property owners and managers and community and professional partners working toward the goal of cleaner and greener commercial and large-scale buildings.  Stamford is the first city in New England and the tri-state region to establish a District, and one of only a handful nationwide.  The initiative is led by Connecticut Fund for the Environment and the Business Council of Fairfield County.

The 20 award recipients, two in each of 10 regions across the state, were:

North Central Billings Forge Community Works CareCentrix

South Central First Selectman Michael Freda Alexion

Southeast Fiddleheads Natural Food Co-op Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition

Middlesex Tower Laboratories, Ltd. Durham Agricultural Fair Association

Waterbury / Naugatuck Waterbury Mayor Neil M. O’Leary Seymour Fish Bypass (Paul Pawlak Fish Bypass)

West Mediassociates Belimo Air Control USA Inc.

Southwest Datto, Inc. Stamford 2030 District

Central Polamer Precision Rowley Spring Adult Education Diploma and Certificate Program

Northeast Putnam Business Association First Friday's Event Plainfield Renewable Energy – A Leidos Company

Northwest Five Point Gallery Northwest Connecticut Manufacturer's Coalition

In addition, CERC awarded its Customer Service Award,named for the late Connie Maffeo, to Donna Wertenbach, President and CEO of the Community Economic Development Fund.

Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc.  is a nonprofit corporation and public-private partnership that provides economic development services consistent with state strategies, leveraging Connecticut’s unique advantages as a premier business location.

New Business Aims to Deliver Science to 8-11 Year-Olds, One Month at a Time

There’s a new Connecticut start-up launching this month, aiming to engage upper elementary school age children with the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through monthly hands-on activities delivered right to their doors.  What began as a response by two college friends to an entrepreneurial start-up challenge is now a full-fledged business, hoping to grow as it excites children ages 8-11 about the potential of the STEM fields. The business, Genius Box, delivers a “monthly STEM adventure to a subscriber’s mailbox, featuring a topic to explore and the tools to do so."  Each box will contain activities or experiments that further illustrate the topic of the month, providing hands on learning opportunities through a narrative “challenge” posed in each box.

Kate Pipa and Shivangi Shah received second place at Demo Day at Northeastern University a few years ago, and “with much excitement and encouragement,” decided to launch a company based on their idea.  Next was a successful crowdfunding campaign in fall 2013, which led to initial beta testing and feedback collection, including work with students in Connecticut classrooms to obtain reactions from students and their teachers.  Earlier this year, a prototype Genius Box was provided to middle-school age participants at the Connecticut Technology Council’s annual Girls of Innovation program.

Genius Box aims to connect kids with real life examples of science, technology, engineering, and math to further the understanding of these critical subjects “in a way that resonates with upper elementary school aged children.” The topic to be explored in December’s inaugural Genius Box will be Kaleidoscopes.  The company’s website is now accepting one month, three month or six month subscriptions for the monthly deliveries.

“We are excited to start this new chapter,” said co-founder and CEO Kate Pipa, who lives in Shelton. “And we are excited to bring kids a new box each month of hands-on fun that also doubles as a learning opportunity and is making social impact for the kids and for our partner organizations.”

Co-founder and COO Shivangi Shah adds, “We hope that the next generation of geniuses will embrace STEM and apply it to the world around them. We want them to believe they can change the world.”

Each box includes a narrative story and activity cards to explain topic and activities in a fun, engaging way, and three or more activities and experiments in each box.  Each monthly kit is “designed in a way that puts each genius in the driver's seat to solve the challenge at hand, with minimal help from adults.”

Extending the Benefits

Pipa and Shah have also added a social benefit component to their sales. For each box sold, Genius Box Inc. will donate $1.00 to a partner nonprofit. December’s partner organization is Connecticut-based ManyMentors, which connects middle and high schools students interested in the S.T.E.M. fields with near age peer mentors via interactive, engaging workshops and a highly innovative online platform.

Genius Box is also among the first social benefit corporations in the state of Connecticut, allowing the company to pursue an expanded mission that embraces societal good along with profits.  Legislation creating the new designation was approved by the state legislature earlier this year, and took effect in October.

The company’s website explains “We want to provide an experience that inspires, encourages, and empowers kids to think big. To be curious. To experiment. To make mistakes. To explore new topics. Overall, to be the change makers and problem-solvers of tomorrow, today.”  Aiming directly at its target audience, the site invites, “Adventure on, geniuses. Your monthly mystery awaits.”

The company is currently shipping only within the United States, and offers free shipping.  More information about Genius Box is available at www.geniusbox.me.

Photo:  Kate Pipa and Shivangi Shah

Summer Olympics May Come to CT if Boston Bid for 2024 Succeeds

Boston is one of four cities being considered to be the United States entry in the international competition to host the 2024 Olympic Games.  If Boston's bid were to become a reality, at least one Olympics observer is suggesting that Connecticut may have an Olympic supporting role to play. Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles have been selected to develop bids to be considered by the U.S. Olympic Committee, which would decide which  city - if any - to support and present to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which will decide in 2017 on the host city for the 2024 Olympics.

Rosanna Garcia, associate professor of marketing in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University in Boston, who has attended the past eight Summer Olympics, sees the city turning to Connecticut and Rhode Island to host some events.

“With more than 300 events that typically occur at the Olympics, many cities around Massachusetts, and even Rhode Island and Connecticut, will need to partner with the International Olympic Committee to host these events,” Garcia points out.

“Many preliminary competition events would need to take place outside of the main Olympic Park areas so events may occur as far away as Connecticut. This also is an opportunity for more people to get involved with the Olympic Spirit,” Garcia adds.

The Boston Globe has reported that the U.S. Olympic Committee is expected to decide early next year whether to enter a U.S. city in the international competition to host the 2024 Olympics.  That would be just after the IOC acts on recent recommendations to reform its selection process, which would take effect with the 2024 Summer Games host selection.  The IOC meets next month to consider the series of recommendations.

Members of the U.S. Olympic Committee were in Boston last week, meeting with representatives of the Boston bid and area colleges which would participate, potentially providing sports venues, dorms, and other support services.  Last month, a promotional video advocating a Boston bid was released, and a website was launched. With an eye toward innovation and efficiency, the video highlights Boston’s bid “to create a sustainable model for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games that can become the blueprint for future host cities.”

The Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau, the state’s official meetings and sports event sales and marketing organization, "supports Boston’s bid for the 2024 Olympics," said Interim President H. Scott Phelps.  "Regardless of whether or not Boston wins the Olympics, the City’s bid has helped to elevate the Boston and other New England brands to sports event planners from all over the world."  Officials noted that if the Olympic Games decide to come to Boston, "it could be great for tourism in nearby Connecticut as well, as spectators and competitors would be encouraged to come visit our State’s attractions," adding that "there might be opportunities for our state to host pre-Olympic competitions and ... athletes."

The Globe noted that if the International Olympic Committee, meeting in Switzerland in December, decides that its preference is for compact venues, as is expected, Boston is seen as a strong candidate and could gain an advantage over Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, whose plans offer less intimate settings, according to the Globe.  Supporters of the San Francisco bid have noted that the chairman of the U.S. Olympic Committee, Larry Probst, lives in nearby Burlingame, CA.  The San Francisco effort is being led by Larry Baer, the chief executive officer of baseball's World Series champion Giants, according to published reports.

It is the first time that Boston has prepared a bid to host the Games, and it is being led by an organization called the Boston 2024 Partnership, a nonprofit organization formed to prepare the bid materials. The group is governed by a 36-member executive committee, and has launched a series of subcommittees aimed at master planning, fundraising, outreach, and engagement. Organizers note that no tax dollars have been spent on Boston 2024, and tax dollars will not be used to build venues or pay for the operation of the Games. Public investment will be confined to roadway, transportation and infrastructure improvements, most of which are already planned and are needed with or without the Olympics.

An Olympic games in Boston would utilize existing sports venues of both professional teams and area colleges, which could reduce potential costs.  Infrastructure improvements, such as in transportation, are already on the drawing board, and could accelerate with a Boston bid.

The U.S. last hosted a Summer Olympiad in Atlanta in 1996; a Winter Olympics in 2002.  St. Louis hosted in 1904 and Los Angeles held the Games in both 1932 and 1984. In recent years, the unsuccessful U.S. bids to the IOC was to host the Summer Games were New York (2012) and Chicago (2016).  The 2016 Games will be held in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 Summer Olympics are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan.  Other potential contenders, according to published reports, include Paris, Rome,Doha, Istanbul and either Hamburg or Berlin in Germany.

“Holding the Games in the Boston area would serve as a catalyst for growth in the region,” said John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction and driving force in the initiative. “We are also excited for the chance to deliver something that is both powerful and meaningful for the worldwide Olympic and Paralympic movements that will also connect more youth to sport.”

Census Bureau Uses Bracketology to Test Population Knowledge

Three of Connecticut’s largest cities are in the game, but they may not last long.  The U.S. Census Bureau, in an effort to boost public knowledge of the relative populations of cities across the country, has launched “Population Bracketology.”  The interactive data game includes the 64 most populous metropolitan areas in the in the 50 states and District of Columbia.  The single-elimination bracket system will be familiar to any fan of March Madness. Making the grade are Bridgeport, Hartford, and New Haven.  Their respective round one opponents make the Connecticut cities strong underdogs in need of a sizable population surge.  Bridgeport goes up against San Francisco, Hartford faces Baltimore, and New Haven is up against Portland. (No, not Portland, Connecticut.)

Players start by choosing one of two versions of the game, geographic level: metro areas or states. Then they click on the name of the city in each match-up that you think has the larger population. Green shows a correct answer, red indicates an incorrect answer. Players are urged to “see how close you can come to a perfect score of 63” and then asked to “mouse-over results to view the most current population estimates for each pair.”

Data for the 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico are based on July 1, 2013 population estimates. Among the other New England states in play are Boston, Worcester and Providence.

Connecticut College Earns Place on LGBT-Friendly List

Connecticut College in New London is included in the Campus Pride list of the top 50 LGBT-friendly colleges and universities for 2014, the only higher education institution in Connecticut to make the list. Campus Pride, founded in 2001, is a national nonprofit network of student leaders and campus groups devoted to improving college life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students across the United States.

This is the first time Campus Pride has expanded its "Best of the Best" list to 50 colleges. In previous years, the top 25 institutions were honored. Campus Pride executive director Shane Windmeyer said the larger number of honorees reflects the progress colleges and universities have made in improving safety and academic life for LGBT students.

The LGBTQ Resource Center on the Connecticut College campus “aims to serve the unique needs of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning students by providing a supportive space, resource library, social events and educational programming,” according to the school’s website.

“We are committed to understanding how homophobia and heterosexism interlink with sexism, racism, and classism to perpetuate oppression,” the Center website points out. The Center also serves as a resource for the entire College community to learn about issues related to sexuality and gender identity.

The Campus Pride top 50 list is based on data from the Campus Pride Index, which includes detailed reports on the policies, programs and practices toward LGBT students, faculty and staff at more than 425 college campuses.

Connecticut College received a top rating of five stars from Campus Pride, highlighting efforts to provide a safe and supportive academic life for LGBTQ students. Colleges are ranked on a scale of one to five stars by LGBT experts in higher education. The College first appeared on the list in 2013.

"I am delighted that Connecticut College has once again earned national recognition for one of our most deeply held values: our commitment to an inclusive campus community,” said Connecticut College President Katherine Bergeron. “Our learning environment is enhanced immeasurably through the diverse perspectives and experiences of each member of this campus."

"More than ever, colleges today want to be viewed as LGBT-friendly and a welcoming place for all students." Windmeyer said. "Upper-level administrators are now understanding how LGBT-friendliness is key to future institutional success."  Officials said the Campus Pride ranking has become a critical factor for LGBT students and their families when choosing a university.

Since the Resource Center opened on the Connecticut College campus in 2007, policies have improved every year, along with the number of services offered to the transgender community. Now transgender students are offered housing consistent with the personal identities and gender-neutral restrooms in campus residences and academic buildings. Training on transgender issues is readily available to students, faculty and staff.

Millennials Consider Company's Causes When Accepting A Job

Millennial employees – those born in the past 20 years - prefer joining a company-wide or team-specific volunteer project rather than merely donating to a fundraising campaign.  In addition, their decision to accept a job is influenced by the company’s connections to the community, and whether they are seen as making a difference in the world. Those are among the findings in the 2014 Millennial Impact Report, issued by Indianapolis-based Achieve.  

The annual survey found that companies need to build relationships with millennial employees to spark their passions and create opportunities to engage both their professional and personal interests.  The findings indicated that employers should develop what was described as a triple platform of involvement – company-wide, department-based and interest-driven.

While only 39 percent of Millennials researched their company’s “cause work” prior to their interview, 55 percent said they were influenced to take their job after discussing cause work in their interview. Notably, 92 percent of the Millennials surveyed felt they were working for a company that was making a positive impact on the world.

In the Greater Hartford area, the survey findings would be no surprise to the leadership of HYPE (Hartford Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs).  Their mission, “to help young professionals become better engaged in community life,” responds to their generation’s strong desire to have a meaningful community connection, at work and in life.  HYPE, which is administered by the MetroHartford Alliance, has 4,000 members, and climbing.

Their efforts have been integral to Hartford’s efforts to promote a more vibrant downtown, and to boost involvement with a range of organizations and agencies that strengthen the fabric of the city.  The organization’s website offers nearly two dozen volunteer activities in the community for members, but makes clear that’s only the tip of the iceberg.  Greater New Haven has a similar organization, PULSE, a program of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce and the Quinnipiac Chamber of Commerce.

Throughout the first four years of the Millennial Impact Project, the following trends emerged and evolved:

• Millennials engage with causes to help other people, not institutions.
• Millennials support issues rather than organizations.
• Millennials prefer to perform smaller actions before fully committing to a cause.
• Millennials are influenced by the decisions and behaviors of their peers.
• Millennials treat all their assets (time, money, network, etc.) as having equal value.
• Millennials need to experience an organization’s work without having to be on site.

The report indicates that "this is a generation that has grown up with a new way of learning. Asking questions in a non-linear fashion and then finding the answers -- all while connecting with their peers, friends and colleagues to make change happen. Today's Millennials are transforming communities, relieving suffering and pursuing social change in a way that may run counter to the traditional ways of organizing, but it's because they are wired to work differently -- collaboratively, transparently, interactively, and entrepreneurially -- to affect positive change in their local communities and around the world."

Achieve, in partnership with the Case Foundation, leads the national research team of The Millennial Impact Project, which they describe as the most comprehensive and trusted study on Millennial  (age 20-30) involvement with causes.

Income Inequality Ranked as World’s Top Challenge; CT Has Among Widest Disparities

Income disparity increased in all 50 states in the last few decades, including Connecticut, according to a study released earlier this year.  Now, new data indicates that the problem of inequality goes well beyond the borders of Connecticut and the United States, and is increasingly viewed as the world’s top trend requiring attention. Connecticut’s top 1 percent captured 63.9 percent of the total income growth from 1979 to 2007 and 50 percent from 2009 to 2011, the study from the Economic Analysis and Research Network found. The top 1 percent in Connecticut also ranked number 1 out of all 50 states for the most income growth from 1979-2007 with 414.6 percent growth - over 14 times the income growth for the bottom 99 percent over the same period.  They experienced 29 percent growth. 

New York and Connecticut had the largest gaps between the average incomes of the top 1 percent and the average incomes of the bottom 99 percent. In both states, the top 1 percent earned roughly 40 times that of the bottom 99 percent.

Looking at inequality worldwide, Crédit Suisse reports people with a net worth of more than $1 million represent just 0.7 percent of the global population, but they have 41 percent of the world’s wealth. Meanwhile, those with a net worth of less than $10,000 represent 69 percent of the population, but just 3 percent of global wealth.

A new report by the World Economic Forum ranks rising inequality as the top trend facing the globe in 2015 (it was ranked #2 last year), according to a survey of 1,767 global leaders from business, academia, government and non-profits.

A recent Pew Research Center survey highlights the extent to which people across the globe agree that inequality is a serious challenge. In all 44 nations polled, majorities say inequality is a big problem facing their country, and majorities in 28 nations consider it a very big problem. Concerns about inequality are widespread in nations that were deeply affected by the Great Recession. For instance, more than seven-in-ten in Greece (84%), Spain (74%) and Italy (73%) say the gap between rich and poor is a very big problem.

In the United States, 46 percent view inequality as a very big problem and another 32 percent consider it to be a problem – a total of 78 percent.

The World Economic Forum’s global agenda for 2015 concluded “The inherent dangers of neglecting inequality are obvious. People, especially young people, excluded from the mainstream end up feeling disenfranchised and become easy fodder of conflict. This, in turn, reduces the sustainability of economic growth, weakens social cohesion and security, encourages inequitable access to and use of global commons, undermines our democracies, and cripples our hopes for sustainable development and peaceful societies.”

CT Ranks #7 in USA in Women in State Legislature; Number Unchanged in State, Drops Nationally

Election results indicate that there will be fewer women serving in state legislatures around the country  in 2015 than this year.  In Connecticut, the number remains unchanged from this year, slightly below the recent peak in 2009. Approximately 1,750 women legislators will be in office in 2015, compared to approximately 1,784.this year. The national percentage of female to male legislators will be approximately 23.7 percent, a slight decrease from the 2014 figure of 24.2 percent.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Connecticut will have 8 women in the State Senate and 45 women in the House of Representatives when the 2015 session opens. That is a total of 53 women holding 28.3 percent of the 187 seats, ranking the state tied at #7 in the number of women serving in the state legislature and at#14 in the percentage of women in the legislature.  Although a number of office-holders changed, the numbers remained constant from 2014 to 2015 in Connecticut.

The national percentage of female state legislatures reached 20 percent in the 1992 election, but has not grown more than 4.5 percentage points since then.  Colorado is expected to have the highest percentage, 43 percent, of women serving, and Oklahoma the lowest at 12.1 percent.  South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming will each have only one woman serving in their senates.

While the number of women in Connecticut's 36-seat Senate has remained relatively static for the past six years at 8 or 9, the representation of women among House members has dropped from 51 in 2009 to 45 in the upcoming 2015 session.  In 2013, there were 46 women in the House and 9 women in the Senate – 29.4 percent of legislators.  In 2009, the breakdown was 51 and 8, for a total of 59 – 31.6 percent of the legislature.

Klarides

There will be one woman among legislative leaders.  State Rep. Themis Klarides of Derby was chosen by her House Republican colleagues as their caucus leader, the first woman to be selected to lead the Republicans.  The House Speaker, House Majority Leader, Senate President Pro Tempore Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Republican Leader for the 2015 session are men, as was true in the previous legislative session.  Connecticut has seen a woman Speaker of the House, but there has not been a woman selected to serve as Senate President Pro Tempore or Majority Leader.

In other elected offices in Connecticut, three of the state’s six statewide Constitutional offices are held by women – Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and State Treasurer Denise Nappier.  All three were re-elected this year.  Of the state’s seven members of Congress, both U.S. Senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are men (and former state legislators) and two of five U.S. House members are women, Elizabeth Esty (a former state legislator) and Rosa DeLauro.  Both House members were re-elected this year, as were Congressmen Joe Courtney, Jim Himes and John Larson.

NCSL points out that conventional wisdom has held that one reason women are less likely to run for office is because of greater family caregiving responsibilities. A recent study, however, found that family situation had no effect on a potential candidate’s ambition to run for office—and this held true for both women and men. Other factors that may be at play include women’s perceptions of their qualifications (women tend to think they are less qualified than men), and political party systems of candidate recruitment.

Looking ahead to the 2015 legislative sessions, the highest percentage of women in legislative bodies are in Colorado (42%), Vermont (41%), Minnesota (33%), Washington (33%), Nevada (32%), Arizona (31%), Illinois (31%), Oregon (31%), Alaska (30%), Maryland (30%), New Jersey (29%), Maine (29%), Hawaii (29%) and Connecticut (28%).

Based on returns from the 2014 election earlier this month, when state legislatures convene early next year, New Hampshire will have 112 women, Vermont will have 74, Minnesota will have 67, Maryland 56,  Illinois 55, Maine 54, and Connecticut and Georgia, 53 each.

The partisan composition of women the nation’s 50 state legislatures is 683 Republicans and 1,058 Democrats.  (As well as 4 Third Party office-holders and 10 non-partisan in Nebraska.)

Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, comments by women legislators

women in legislature 2014