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As our nation slowly creeps onto the road to recovery, I am writing to urge you to invest in women as a key to greater economic stability in our nation.
Women in America are more likely to be poor than men. Women in America are further behind than women in other countries — the gap in poverty rates between men and women is wider in America than anywhere else in the world.
A federal policy package aimed at lifting women up out of poverty can help make our country more secure. It should include legislation mandating:
Equal pay for equal work. Women who work full-time earn only 77% of what men make — a 22% gap in average annual wages. Even with the same qualifications, women earn less than men.
Gender equity in the green economy. Women are often segregated into low-paying occupations and occupations dominated by women are low paid. Women are tracked into "pink collar" jobs which typically pay less than men. Ensuring the new green economy works for women will be necessary for gender equity in the future.
Access to affordable care and flexible work and paid family leave. Women spend more time providing unpaid caregiving than men. Because combining unpaid caregiving with paid work can be challenging, women are more likely to work part time or take time out of the workforce to care for family. Women need access to affordable healthcare, child and elder care and access to work places that provide flexible work hours and paid family leave and sick days.
Expanded tax credits. Women are more likely to bear the costs of raising children. Eight in ten custodial parents are women and custodial mothers are twice as likely to poor as custodial fathers. Women must receive the support they need through expanded tax credits to help them meet the costs of raising their families.
Support and protection. Domestic or sexual violence can lead to job loss, poor health and homelessness. It is estimated that survivors of intimate partner violence collectively lose almost 8 million days of paid work each year because of the violence perpetrated against them by current or former husbands, boyfriends or dates. Half of the cities surveyed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors identified domestic violence as a primary cause of homelessness. The federal government must ensure that women get the support and protection they need to leave violent situations while maintaining job and housing stability.
October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month and October 17 is International Poverty Day. This is the time to act. When a woman is more economically secure, her family is more economically secure. When her family is more economically secure, her community is more economically secure. Passing a federal policy package to lift women out of poverty is the smartest and fastest route to economic recovery for communities across the nation.
