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The Women's Council promotes initiatives to empower women, serves as a clearinghouse for information on programs and resources, conducts research on the status of women, and engages in unique partnerships to address barriers and inequalities affecting Wisconsin women. The Women's Council is comprised of 15 members appointed by the Governor and Legislative leaders.

FIND DATA RESOURCES

ONE STOP DATA SHOP
This outlines the current available data for various indicators of the status of women in Wisconsin.

WI Well-Being Index

The Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee has just published the Wisconsin Women's Well-Being Index. This was created to bring visibility to the diverse and complex realities women experience across Wisconsin.

MKE Well-Being Index

The Women's Fund of Greater Milwaukee has published the Greater Milwaukee Women's Well-Being Index. The Women’s Fund created the Women’s Well-Being Index to illuminate the realities women face in the Greater Milwaukee area.

FVR Well-Being Index

The Women's Fund for the Fox Valley Region has published the Women's Well-Being Index for the Fox Valley Region. This report was created to highlight the experiences of women in the Fox Valley Region.

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Wages for Women in Wisconsin Continue to Lag Those of Men, and the Pay Gap is Substantially Worse for Women of Color*
In 2023, Wisconsin women’s median wage was $22.03 while men’s median was $25.09. At the median, women earned 88 cents for every dollar a man earned. This is Wisconsin’s gender wage gap.
WW2 shows the dramatic closing of the gender pay gap between working women and men from 1979 to 2023. In 1979, for every dollar that a man earned, women earned just 58 cents. By 2023, for every dollar that a man earned, women earned 88 cents. Although still far from pay equity, working women in Wisconsin have been moving closer since 1979. The gap has closed both because women’s wages are up, and because men’s wages have fallen.
The Gender Gap has Shrunk and White Women Have Made the Biggest Gains of All*
WW3 demonstrates the persistent pay gap for women by race and ethnicity compared to white men.
Despite considerable progress towards pay equity over the past 40 years, in 2023 working women in Wisconsin of all races and ethnicities continue to earn substantially less than white men. Compared to white men white women earn 16% less, Black women earn 25% less, and Hispanic women 33% less. These pay gaps demonstrate sustained gender inequality, but also the particularly deep disparities faced by women of color in the state.

*Charts and data courtesy of the High Road Strategy Center annual report, State of Working Wisconsin. The report analyzes the most recent data available on wages, jobs, and unions, and, the 2023 report provides a special feature on women workers. The High Road Strategy Center has been releasing this report since 1996 to provide clear information on the economy as experienced by the working people of the state.
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Women in Elected Office in Wisconsin
State & Local Government
Statistics on Women in Local Government

Timeline of Women in Elected Office in WI
State & Federal Offices

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