About OWP

The County of Santa Clara Office of Women’s Policy is committed to ensuring that County policies and programs are gender-responsive and meet the needs of women and girls. We work to improve outcomes, increase access, and promote self-determination of people who identify as women.

Mission

The mission of the County of Santa Clara is to plan for the needs of a dynamic community, provide quality services, and promote a healthy, safe, and prosperous community for all.

Vision

A County of Santa Clara community where women and girls prosper and live self-determined lives.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Learn more about our office

Find out more about our news, events, resources, and more.

Go to our office homepage

Our pro-equity approaches

Change the narrative

Provide training and tools to understand and address the root causes of girls, women, and gender-expansive inequities.
Raise visibility about gender bias, gender inequities, the status of women, girls, and nonbinary individuals, their needs, and their contribution to Santa Clara County.

Subject matter expertise

Offer guidance to County departments and community members on best practices to support girls, women, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals to support, referrals, and resources locally and nationally.
Work collaboratively with all County departments and local agencies to review current practices and provide technical assistance.

Transformational change

Lead innovation of cross-departmental best practices, remove systems barriers, and expand linkage and access to services.

Partnerships and community engagement

Represent the County and build partnerships with local, state, and national government agencies, school districts, and nonprofit organizations on girls, women, and gender-expansive issues.
Convene local agencies and community leaders to build supports and platforms to strengthen and amplify girls, women, and gender-expansive voices.

Policy analysis

Embed a gender-based lens across county policies.
Review existing or proposed policy to ensure adequate and appropriate inclusion of girls, women and gender-expansive individuals.
Track key Women’s policy areas and provide recommendations for local action.

Data, evaluation, and accountability

Support the standardization and integration of gender and related demographic data into County data collection.
Design, implement, and analyze a county-wide crosswalk on programs being conducted related to girls, women, and gender-expansive issues.
Identify specific county-wide gaps in girls, women, and gender-expansive support and services.
Conduct or secure research to identify promising/evidence-based practices to advance equity in girls, women, and gender-expansive issues.