In 2024, Women’s Fund commissioned Indiana University’s Polis Center to research and write The State of Women in Central Indiana Report.
Our ambition was to describe the experiences of women in our region as fully as data would allow and use community voices to illuminate what data fails to reveal. We did this for three reasons:
-To better educate residents on the condition of women in our region
-To better direct womenfocused philanthropic resources
-To inform more effective state and local policy, leading to better outcomes for women in Central Indiana
The State of Women Report cannot do any of those things on its own. To achieve the outcomes above, the report relies on an audience of residents, philanthropists, and policymakers willing to listen to and learn from women.
Some Hoosiers worry that such an audience may not exist in numbers large enough to make the deep, systemic changes necessary to improve women’s health in Indiana.
Terri Lee, Senior Director for Health Equity at Aspire, puts it bluntly: “I cannot say with full confidence that policymakers have my best intentions in their heart.”
Wendy Noe, CEO of Dove Recovery House for Women, states the case: “The rights of women are not a given in Indiana.” It is likely not a coincidence that Indiana ranks low among U.S. states for both women’s health outcomes and in female legislative representation. But while The State of Women in Central Indiana Report may not always be an easy read, it is true. And any significant, positive change will always begin there—with what is true. Equipped with this data, the onus is on our community (especially its policymakers) to respond.
The good news—because yes, there is good news—is that our region is full of women who are leading the charge for a better future. We hear from many of them throughout The State of Women in Central Indiana Report. And every chapter includes callouts of organizations that offer strength and abundance to women in Indiana. What follows is a partial summary of the report. Women’s Fund encourages you to view the complete document at WomensFund.org/report.
Overview and Demographics
The study is divided into two sections: Basic Needs and Health & Well-being. Between them, they feature 10 individual chapters examining Central Indiana women’s relationship to everything from housing to transportation to food and beyond. But before getting into the condition of women in Central Indiana, let’s understand who we are talking about.
Throughout the report, “Central Indiana” is mostly defined as the eight-county region of Boone, Johnson, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, and Shelby (although, some of the report’s data sources expand it to include Madison Co. and, occasionally, Brown and Monroe counties).
Marion County has the highest portion of young women
Central Indiana Women by county and age
In that eight-county region, 52% of the population identifies as female: that compares to only 50.4% at the state level and 50.5% at the national level. So, when we talk about females in Central Indiana, we are talking about a statistical majority of the eight-county region.
While most of these counties have similar demographic breakdowns, there are deviations. Marion County overrepresents in younger, non-White women relative to surrounding counties.
Meanwhile, though immigrant populations have been increasing in most Central Indiana counties (now comprising 10% of Marion and 8% of Hamilton counties), foreign-born populations have slightly decreased in both Madison and Morgan counties.
Women’s racial/ethnic demography in Central Indiana overall has shown small decreases in its White population and slight increases in the categories Asian and Other:
The racial composition of Central Indiana is consistent for Black and Asian Females between 2018 and 2022
Women Population by race and ethnicity, 2022
Financial Stability
Throughout The State of Women in Central Indiana Report, outcomes have a strong (though, not exclusive) relationship with incomes. Today, we often need some form of post-secondary education to access a livable wage. It is here that the study measures one of the biggest shifts for women in Central Indiana over the last decade.
College attainment for women has increased 10 points since 2010, closing the gender gap with men
Percent of adults (age 25+) by education and gender
In 2010, women in the region were less likely than men to have a bachelor’s degree and more likely to stop their education after high school.
By 2019, both of those outcomes were reversed. Nationally, that switch happened in about 2002 (Pew, 2023).
And yet, overcoming the education gap between men and women did not overcome the wage gap.
In 2022, Hoosier women earned about 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man. While that was a small improvement over 2012 (73 cents), it compared poorly to the nation’s narrower wage gap of 83 cents. Surprisingly, part-time wages were at parity in 2012. However, by 2022, men’s part-time pay had increased 87%, leaving women making 80 cents on the dollar compared to men at part-time positions. The gap is even larger for women of color.
Women earn less than men in both full-time and part-time work
Earnings by gender and work status
The reasons for wage disparity have been long debated. The State of Women Report cites the Nobel-Prize-winning work of Claudia Goldin who examined over two centuries’ worth of American labor and wage data with respect to gender. We recommend her 2021 book Career & Family: Women’s Century-long Journey Toward Equity; it outlines the measurable impact of prejudice and chosen career paths on wage inequity.
The State of Women Report outlines the participation rate of women in different Central Indiana job sectors.
As women make up a smaller share of an industry’s workforce, their earnings tend to fall further behind male colleagues’. In sectors where women make up the workforce majority, they earn an average of 82 cents to their male colleagues’ dollar; when they’re the minority, 72 cents.
However, one industry proves an exception: computer/mathematics. This is the only job sector where women outearned men in Central Indiana. It is also one of the most male-dominated job sectors. As the full report shows, women’s financial stability is the primary link in a chain that impacts housing, health, safety, and more.
There is a gender pay gap in almost every occupation
Employment and earnings by occupation
Housing
In the last issue of Diane, we saw how housing for women—especially women of color—is negatively impacted by a low-wage state economy with few safeguards for renters.
The State of Women Report expands that discussion by examining the two worst outcomes: eviction and homelessness.
In Central Indiana, a majority of renters are women. Renters who are single mothers pay an average of 48% of their income toward housing costs. That leaves them most vulnerable to rent increases. From 2019 to March of 2024, rent prices in Central Indiana increased an average of 35%. That led to an estimated 60% of all eviction filings in the region to be filed against women in recent years.
As shown in our last issue, laws that impact renters in Indiana largely favor property owners and landlords. That has caused the state to gain fame as a prime target for real estate investor groups even as Indianapolis earns an unwelcome reputation as an eviction capital. Rhonda Bayless, Executive Director at Centers of Wellness for Urban Women:
“Being a Black woman may mean you are more likely to have an eviction on your housing record… The lack of homelessness prevention programs and financial support focusing on keeping families housed before an eviction—that is the heart of this issue.”
In 2024, Indy ranked fifth in eviction filings among American cities, maintaining a presence in the top five for several years running. Eviction filing rates tend to be highest near the county’s edges rather than in the city’s lowest-income census tracts.
Eviction filings are most common where large apartment complexes are located near Interstate 465
Evictions by census tract, July 2023 to June 2024
One possible reason why: According to the Indianapolis Star, 88% of eviction filings in 2021 came from corporate landlords as opposed to private individuals. Large complexes near I-465 are usually corporate-owned as opposed to smaller complexes in the city’s core.
Even if a filing stops short of a full eviction, it can make future housing options for a family challenging. In the worst cases, it leads to a full eviction and homelessness.
In 2024, Indianapolis recorded 1,701 individuals experiencing homelessness on a given night. This was a slight improvement from the pandemic high of 1,928 individuals in 2021.
Homelessness count increased from 2023 to 2024
Point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness, Indianapolis (Marion County)
While the creation of more housing stock can help alleviate housing costs and reduce homelessness, housing construction levels are still at historic lows in the long wake of the 2008 recession.
Existing, vacant housing will play a role in returning more residents (disproportionately single mothers) to permanent homes.
The State of Women in Central Indiana Report cites a need for improving voucher systems through the Indianapolis Housing Agency (IHA).
The report also points to Indianapolis’ new “master leasing” program. Inspired by a successful effort in Milwaukee, this program allows the city’s Department of Metropolitan Development to hold a lease on units occupied by those experiencing housing instability.
After recovering from Great Recession, housing construction only at 1987 levels
Building permits per year, Indiana 1983-2023
Safety
Danyette Smith, MHS, survivor and Director of Domestic Violence Prevention at the Indy Public Safety Foundation, speaks to the impact that a lack of stable housing can have on women’s safety:
“It’s very hard to flee a domestic violence situation without housing. It’s a part of your wellbeing. Little has been done [about housing] from a domestic violence perspective.”
Among U.S. states, Indiana routinely sits among the top five for its rate of domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV, defined as violence between intimate partners who do not live together).
Higher rates of poverty typically increase the likelihood of DV/IPV, domestic violence meaning historically disadvantaged populations will often experience DV/IPV more frequently.
The State of Women Report demonstrates the income linkage visually for Marion County, highlighting the overlap between census tracts with higher rates of 911 calls for domestic violence alongside areas with higher rates of poverty.
High rates of domestic violence overlap with high rates of poverty
Ten ZIP codes with most requests for domestic violence police dispatches, compared to poverty rate by tract
However, it’s important to note that DV and IPV can and do impact households in every income level and Central Indiana county.
As noted in the report:
…[L]eaders of DV service organizations across Central Indiana noted similar barriers for survivors in suburban counties. Often, women lack independent resources to leave a violent relationship. This includes lack of transportation, childcare, income, and housing.
According to the report, 1 in 5 Central Indiana women have experienced sexual assault; however, a majority of assaults likely go unreported to police. Surveys show that the three most common reasons women give for choosing not to report are a fear of reprisal, police bias against victims and, most commonly, that the abuse was “a personal matter,” with the assailant being known to the victim.
“A lot of women go back when they lack understanding, and it’s a vicious cycle,” said Danyette Smith.
The report highlights Beacon of Hope Crisis Center, a Women’s Fund 2023 grant recipient which provides financial assistance to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
Mental Health
The State of Women Report revealed several correlations between mental health and variables like income, age, race and gender.
For instance, while women reported higher rates of depression and frequent mental distress than men…
For residents 18 or older, 1 in every 3 women suffers from depressive disorders, compared to 1 in 8 men.
Depression by gender in Indiana
In 2022, 1 in 5 women in the state reported suffering from frequent mental distress, compared to 1 in 8 men
Frequent mental distress gender disparities
…men demonstrated significantly higher rates of overdose death and suicide, especially after the onset of the pandemic.
While men continue to experience higher overdose mortality rates, the gap is narrowing as women’s mortality rates rise consistently each year
Crude Mortality Rate per 100,000 for Overdose Deaths, Central
The suicide mortality rate for men remains significantly higher than that for women
Crude Mortality Rate per 100,000 for Men vs Women Central Indiana (Age 20+)
And while race has an impact on women’s frequent mental distress (defined as 14 or more poor mental health days a month), the most negatively impacted group is multiracial women, who report nearly twice the rate of frequent mental distress as Hispanic women.
Multiracial women in Indiana experience significantly higher rates of frequent mental distress
Frequent Mental Distress in Women by Race in Indiana
From the report:
The pandemic had a tremendous effect on the connectedness of communities, causing increased feelings of social isolation. […] Most of our interviewees felt that there was more isolation overall, and that can have effects on women, particularly.
Not just numbers
As with any large report, we run the risk of data numbing us to the very human experiences that the data represent. For that reason, you will encounter women’s voices throughout this report. Doneisha Posey, CEO of Impacto Strategies and Co-Founder of Women’s Equity (WE) Brunch says it well:
“Policy makers should be listening to women… Data can tell many different stories, and it can tell whatever story that you want it to tell. So, if we’re not …listening to women and their needs, you will continue to do a disservice.”
Women’s Fund is grateful to all the women who lent their voices to give shape and meaning to The State of Women Report.
