Mission
The mission of the Division on Women (DOW) is to create, promote and expand the rights and opportunities for all women in the State of New Jersey.
DOW provides leadership in the formulation of public policy and in the development, coordination and evaluation of programs and services for women.
Vision
DOW is committed to the advancement of women as full partners in society.
The Division on Women (DOW) was established in the Department of Community Affairs in 1974 through NJSA 52:27D-43.9, which requires that the Division on Women serve as the central permanent agency for the coordination of programs and services for the women of New Jersey.
On July 1, 2012, the New Jersey Division on Women was transferred from the Department of Community Affairs to the Department of Children and Families. Bringing the Division on Women under DCF will better position the department to strengthen families and sharpen its focus on the occurrences of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.
Additional services that were transferred include the Sexual Violence Primary Prevention and the Displaced Homemaker Programs. The goal of the Sexual Violence Primary Prevention program is to prevent the perpetration of sexual violence through the implementation of evidence based prevention strategies. The Displaced Homemaker Program focuses on helping women who have previously been financially dependent on another household member become economically self-sufficient. Both programs, which serve women in all twenty-one counties, will continue without interruption.
In transferring these services, DCF becomes the primary state agency responsible for domestic violence, sexual violence prevention and women’s services.
