It sucks to be a woman in Houston — or at least to feel safe? (Webster: insurance)

[elnina]

From the title, I expected it to be focused on crime specifically, but the study also takes healthcare into consideration, and Texas overall has pretty terrible healthcare for women: study ranks Houston most unsafe city for women in the country.
It ranks 260th place out of 261 cities in a study measuring women's safety. Looking only at the 26 largest cities, Houston came in dead last.
Why Was Houston Ranked The Most Unsafe Large City In America? | Houston Press

[mcfroggin]

These studies are so flawed that they mean almost nothing, sometimes even the opposite of the actual findings.

[shortel]

Be a real texan and carry a gun.

[detachable arm]

Not surprising to me at all.

[houston-nomad]

A woman carrying a gun is probably more likely to have that gun used against her in a domestic violence situation than to effectively protect herself with it.

The indifference of the comments above is illustrative of the problem.

[elnina]

Originally Posted by mcfroggin

These studies are so flawed that they mean almost nothing, sometimes even the opposite of the actual findings.

Possibly, and I would agree with that if you provide a link supporting your statement...

BTW: most rankings are related to health, access to healthcare and health education.

[Lowexpectations]

I'm curious as to how economics plays into the survey in its entirety. My wife for instance has no lack of access to medical providers, attention or education all while living in Houston.

[montiff]

Originally Posted by elnina

Possibly, and I would agree with that if you provide a link supporting your statement...

BTW: most rankings are related to health, access to healthcare and health education.

They won't because they have a "gut feeling" that something is wrong. It's frustrating when you're trying to have an intelligent discussion.

So here is the study's methodology: (seems pretty solid to me and my comments in bold)

Crime (13)

Rape Rate (per 100,000 Women) / FBI
Robbery Rate (per 100,000 Population) / FBI
Assault Rate (per 100,000 Population) / FBI
Burglary Rate (per 100,000 Population) / FBI
Larceny Rate (per 100,000 Population) / FBI
Motor Vehicle Theft Rate (per 100,000 Population) / FBI
Arson Rate (per 100,000 Population) / FBI
Stalking (% of Population, Lifetime Prevalence)* / CDC
Non-Rape Sexual Violence (% of Population, Lifetime Prevalence)* / CDC
Homicide Rate (Male on Female, per 100,000 women)* / Violence Policy Center
Conviction Rate* / U.S. Justice Department
Sex Offenders (% of Population)* / Parents for Megan's Law
Number of Police Officers (per 100,000 Population) / U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Women as a % of Police Force / U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics
Public Policy and Representation (8) - Half-weighted in final rankings

A very large city, on a major drug smuggling corridor, and being the human trafficking capital of the United States makes this not surprising.

Safety Resources* / U.S. Department of Women's Health
Paid Family Leave* / National Partnership for Women and Families
Pregnancy Accommodations at Work* / National Partnership for Women and Families
Right to Pump* / National Partnership for Women and Families
Pregnancy Leave* / National Partnership for Women and Families
Paid Sick Leave* / National Partnership for Women and Families
State Workers Pregnancy Accommodations* / National Partnership for Women and Families
Number of Female Leaders* / Center for American Women and Politics
Healthcare (5)

Anti Planned Parenthood, Right to Work, and large undocumented work force. Also not surprising.

Reproductive Clinics (per 100,000 Population)* / Planned Parenthood
Breast Cancer Rates (per 100,000 Women)* / CDC
Ovary Cancer Rates (per 100,000 Women)* / CDC
Cervix Cancer Rates (per 100,000 Women)* / CDC
Uninsured Rate (% of Women) / U.S. Census Bureau
Education and Wealth (4) - Half-weighted in final rankings

Anti Planned Parenthood, and leader in obesity. Also sadly not surprising.

% Women with High School Diploma / U.S. Census Bureau
% Women with College Education / U.S. Census Bureau
% Women With Post Graduate Education / U.S. Census Bureau
Median Income for Women / U.S. Census Bureau

This is a bit surprising as Oil&Gas jobs and medical jobs pay very well here for women compared to other fields, I'm guessing the large undocumented population drag us down in the rankings here?

[mcfroggin]

Define reproductive clinic? It is not uncommon to have a variety of physicians treating women including ob/gyn, family medicine, internal medicine, etc.

Our rates of cancer treatment will always be high because we have MD Anderson Cancer Center. Wealthy people even come from Asian countries for treatment there. Cancer treatment numbers should be huge as Houston is probably the best place for treatment.

Define female leader? My wife leads the home quite well. She has a masters degree and could easily find a great job if she wanted.

How accurate are pregnancy accommodations unrelated to leave from work (already listed). Doesn't seem easy to measure, but I admit to not knowing exactly what is meant here.

Motor vehicle theft and burglary is unrelated to general safety or women in general.



Everyone has access to insurance with ACA. If you don't have it, it has nothing to do with the city as a whole.

General census bureau is not very accurate. My uncle works for them.

What is non-rape sexual violence? Merriam Webster defines rape as unlawful sexual activity.

I'm unaware of any Houston law restricting women from pumping. Is Right to Pump just something businesses sign up for to get a free window sticker?

^ Lots of flaws.

[montiff]

Originally Posted by mcfroggin

General census bureau is not very accurate. My uncle works for them.

Good God man, that is the silliest thing I've heard today. Does that mean they hired your dimwit uncle so there is no way they can be trusted, or your uncle has some insider insight on the quality of the data?

Plus what is your preferred alternative for demographic data?