What We Do

For the 2022-2023 work plan, the SWC selected three primary focus areas based on the collective feedback Commissioners received from their respective communities: affordable childcare, missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW), and housing access. Our efforts to understand the breadth of these complex issues and their impacts on women* are constantly evolving. Below you will find the key activities we are undertaking with respect to policy, advocacy, and increasing awareness of these crucial issues.

Affordable Child Care

1. Engage with elected officials on the local, state, and federal levels to learn about and advocate for policies aiming to enhance access to affordable child care;
2. Engage with Seattle-area community groups and individuals to obtain a deeper understanding of the impact of a lack of accessible and/or affordable child care on women;
3. Lend SWC's voice to provide institutional backing for key policy and community-based initiatives;
4. Amplify the voices and work of community groups, child care providers, and other relevant stakeholders by sharing local child care-related information on the SWC social media pages and website.
    

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)

1. Engage and develop relationships with journalists and community leaders who are consistently speaking about MMIW to further understanding of the issue and multilevel response;
2. Organize an event or a series of events to elevate local voices working to raise awareness about MMIW;
3. Amplify policy and public awareness information related to MMIW on the SWC social media pages and website.
    

Housing Access

1. Engage with the Office of Economic Development (OED) regarding their tracking of housing instability and economic impacts of COVID to determine if the data is tracked along gender lines;
2. Conduct analysis to determine how the OED data translates to policy and recovery aid by the City of Seattle;
3. Amplify policy and public awareness information related to housing access on the SWC social media pages and website.
    

In addition to the issue oriented activities outlined above, the SWC will develop social media campaigns involving women’s issues, including: Women’s History Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

*The Seattle Women’s Commission prioritizes issues experienced by all women and those most impacted by gender bias, including transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people who may not identify as women.