Indiana Commission for Women to host Statehouse Women's Day

The Indiana Commission for Women is having a Women’s Day at the Statehouse on Wednesday.

This is the first time the event will occur in more than 10 years.

Last year, ICW had a series of conversations called “Hoosier Women Speak.” It conducted regional listening discussions to address and discuss issues facing women.

“We held a series of listening sessions around the state to hear from women about issues they were seeing in their communities,” Executive Director Kristin Garvey said.

ICW says it “work to move Indiana women forward by understanding the needs of Indiana women and their families and by working strategically both within government and in our communities to help bring about positive solutions.”

Results from the Hoosier Women Speak listening sessions from 2011 to 2012 were used to identify priorities for the program.

The top five priorities identified were issues related to health, work, leadership, caregiving and violence against women, Garvey said.

“We want to inform people of what we found out in areas that were identified during the listening issues and to continue conversation about not just what those issues are, but what are some realistic solutions, not necessarily on a policy level, but what individuals can do and what communities can do,” Garvey said.

The event is open to everyone and there is no charge to attend. Today is the last day to register, which can be done on the ICW’s website.

The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Indiana Government Conference center.

— Anu Kumar