About Us

Why We Exist

Across the United States, women’s rights are shifting — state by state, law by law. From reproductive healthcare and workplace protections to voting access and safety laws, the landscape is evolving in ways that can be difficult to follow.

The Women’s Rights Data Initiative (WRDI) exists to bring clarity to that complexity. We believe people deserve a clear understanding of how laws and policies shape their rights — without needing a legal background to make sense of it.

When information is organized, transparent, and accessible, it builds confidence. And when confidence grows, it becomes easier to participate — whether that means asking informed questions, sharing reliable information, or engaging in ways that feel right for your life.

What We Do

WRDI is a fact-based information hub that tracks women’s rights policies across states and issue areas. We focus on clarity, consistency, and context — so you can understand what changed, why it matters, and how it affects real life.

We:

• Analyze legislation and policy developments, translating them into plain, practical language.
• Organize every update into a consistent structure: what happened, why it matters, background, and resources.
• Visualize patterns through interactive dashboards and maps that make state comparisons easier to see — and easier to talk about.
• Maintain issue hubs that bring related updates together in one place.

WRDI tracks women’s rights in all the forms they are lived. That includes transgender girls and women, whose rights are shaped by many of the same laws and protections.

How to Use WRDI

You can explore the site in several ways:

• Start with the national map to see how your state compares.
• Browse topic areas to follow changes in reproductive healthcare, workplace protections, voting access, and more.
• Interact with the Women's Rights Landscape dashboard for a broader view of national patterns.
• Read individual updates for detailed context and source documentation.

The Story Behind the Initiative

Hi, I'm Julie.

WRDI began when it became increasingly difficult for me to understand what was actually happening to women’s rights. Executive orders, state laws, and court decisions were arriving quickly, making it hard to see how individual changes fit together.

After Roe v. Wade was overturned, I began tracking developments in one place—simply to understand the full picture. I logged bills, policies, and court cases state by state to see what was really changing.

When I looked at that information all together, two things became clear: the pace of change was accelerating, and there was no single, accessible place to track it across issues and states.

That early work became the foundation for WRDI—a central, trusted resource designed to replace fragmentation with clarity, and confusion with context.

Today, WRDI is more than a tracker. It’s an ongoing effort to make women’s rights information easier to understand, easier to share, and easier to return to over time.

Board of Directors

WRDI is governed by a Board of Directors responsible for strategic oversight and fiduciary stewardship:

Julie Slovin — President — Wisconsin
Karla Lawson — Treasurer — Virginia
Cheane Sartler — Secretary — Wisconsin
Joanmarie Foster — Member — Virginia
Shanna Wilson — Member — Virginia
Melissa Wong — Member — Oregon

Organizational Structure

The Women’s Rights Data Initiative, Inc. has applied for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and operates as a nonprofit organization. We are nonpartisan and do not endorse candidates or political parties. Upon approval, tax-exempt status will be retroactive to our date of incorporation, and contributions will be tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Ready to Explore?

See what’s changing in your state and learn why it matters.

Support WRDI

If you’d like to support WRDI’s research and reporting, you can make a one-time contribution here.

Contact Us

Women's Rights Data Initiative, Inc.
P.O. Box 26
Sister Bay, Wisconsin 54234
www.womensrightsdata.org

Questions, comments, or corrections: info@womensrightsdata.org
Become part of our Advisor Network: hello@womensrightsdata.org

Read our Editorial Standards to learn about our reporting and ratings guidelines.