This briefing paper examines many aspects of the economic security of women and men aged 65 and older in Hawai`i, including their marital status, poverty, and various sources and amounts of income, with attention to disparities by gender and race/ethnicity. The paper builds on IWPR’s “The Economic Security of Older Women and Men in the United States” (Finkle, Hartmann, and Lee 2007).
About the author
Emma Williams-Baron was a Policy and Data Analyst at IWPR and Assistant Editor for the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy, focusing on job quality, pay equity across the life course, work-life policy, and intersectional analysis. She began at IWPR as a Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellow in 2015.
Previously, she was a research assistant investigating gendered violence with Dr. Alexandra Hrycak, and a legislative intern at the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women.
As an undergraduate student, Emma presented a senior thesis titled Girls and Boys Who Work: Effects of Gendered Adolescent Work Experiences on Career, Education, Family, and Work-Life Balance Aspirations and Expectations. Since joining IWPR, Emma has given several presentations at national and international conference including sharing findings from her study of youth work experience and attitudes toward career and family at the 2016 Work and Family Researchers Network Conference and presenting conclusions from her work with Dr. Hrycak at the 2016 Association for the Study of Nationalities 21st Annual World Convention.
Emma is a 2015 graduate of Reed College with a B.A. in sociology.
Julie Anderson was a Senior Research Associate at IWPR. She managed the Status of Women in the States projects and also worked extensively on workforce development and job training initiatives.
Julie was project manager for IWPR’s first regionally-focused report, The Status of Women in the South, as well as several state reports. She has presented Status of Women research on numerous webinars, teleconferences, and to international visiting opinion leaders and scholars. She is a frequent media spokesperson and has been interviewed for NPR, The Guardian, The Christian Science Monitor, and HuffPost Politics Live.
Prior to joining IWPR in December 2014, Julie was a researcher at the Center for Social Science Research at George Mason University. She has also worked at the Children’s Law Center and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Julie has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in sociology from George Mason University.
Cynthia Hess is Chief Operating Officer (COO) at IWPR and Scholar in Residence at American University. In her role as COO, Cynthia oversees the operations of the Institute while working with program staff to support the execution of research and other projects. As COO, Cynthia serves as a member of the executive leadership team within the organization and works closely with the President and staff to develop and implement organizational systems and processes to maximize efficiency and support future growth.
Prior to her position as COO, Cynthia served as Associate Director of Research, directing IWPR’s research on numerous issues including projects on intimate partner violence, workforce development, and women’s leadership and activism. Under her tenure, IWPR expanded its longstanding Status of Women in States project and launched an accompanying website, statusofwomendata.org. Cynthia has been quoted in a number of media outlets including The Washington Post, Fortune, Governing magazine and, The Boston Globe.
Before joining the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Dr. Hess taught for two years as a visiting faculty member in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Ph.D. in Theology from Yale University and her A.B. from Davidson College.
Jessica Milli is a Study Director at IWPR and Scholar in Residence at American University. She oversees IWPR’s work on paid sick days, providing technical assistance to dozens of communities across the country exploring paid sick days policies. In addition, Jessica leads IWPR research projects on breastfeeding and women in patenting.
Jessica has presented her work at events around the country and has testified before state and local legislative bodies on IWPR’s research. She has been interviewed in Bloomberg, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Marketplace, The Nation, TIME, ABC News, Fortune, and other national and regional outlets. Prior to joining IWPR, Jessica taught economics courses ranging from principles of microeconomics and economic statistics, to game theory and labor economics at several institutions including UW-Milwaukee, UW-Whitewater, and Randolph College.
Jessica received her Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During her studies, she applied her focus of Labor Economics to relationships within households and what economic factors put women at more risk of experiencing domestic violence. Her dissertation analyzed the complex relationship between domestic violence and various measures of women’s socioeconomic status, such as welfare receipt and employment.
