Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.
On this sad occasion for the entire nation, we wish to commend Senator Edward Kennedyâs contributions on behalf of women and families. Senator Kennedy was a leader in passing the Family and Medical Leave Act and the author of the historic Healthy Families Act, which, when passed, will for the first time guarantee workers a minimum number of paid sick days. As Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, he promoted a host of policies to benefit women, including legislating fair pay and strengthening Title IX, not to mention saving the women worker data series. Senator Kennedy was a hero for women, and we are grateful for his work to improve the lives of women and families during his lifetime and for generations to come.
| <img src="https://iwpr.org/images/kennedyfairwage.jpg" alt="Senator Kennedy, surrounded by leaders of womenâs organizations, speaks in support of fair pay legislation at a press conference on Capitol Hill, January 2007 |
| Senator Kennedy, surrounded by leaders of womenâs organizations, speaks in support of fair pay legislation at a press conference on Capitol Hill, January 2007 |