In the Lead
Congress needs to act now—women and families risk devastation after December 26 expiry of CARES Act benefits
The CARES Act, passed in March 2020, proved to be a lifeline for many women and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefits introduced by the CARES Act, including the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit, lifted more than 18 million individuals out of poverty in April, a majority of whom were women. Women outnumber men among state unemployment insurance claimants both nationally and in the large majority of the states. By September, after the weekly federal benefit ended, the [...]
Kim Ng Breaks Another Glass Ceiling
This year, women—and Asian women in particular—have continued to shatter glass ceilings and establish their leadership in historically male spaces. As Senator Kamala Harris prepares to become the Vice President of the United States, and the first woman and Black or Asian person to govern in that position, Kim Ng is also breaking ground by becoming the first woman and the first East Asian general manager of a major league baseball team, serving as general manager for the Miami Marlins. Ng is [...]
Apprenticeships for Women are Building the Future
Last week was National Apprenticeship Week – a week to celebrate the power of apprenticeships to offer good jobs and family-supporting wages. Apprenticeships are ‘earn-as-you-learn’ opportunities that combine paid employment with on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Women apprentices can support themselves and their families while acquiring relevant work experience and industry-recognized credentials, all without getting saddled with the college debt associated with a 4-year degree. Despite these benefits, fewer than one in ten apprentices are women. Women’s underrepresentation in apprenticeships [...]
“I just feel like I’m falling through the cracks.”
Ilsa, a mother in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was trained as a lawyer, but a decade ago when her children were born, she decided to start a small business because the schedule was more flexible, making it easier to take care of her children. Ten years later, the pandemic forced her to close down her small business for good. Meanwhile, she found herself going through a divorce. She suddenly felt like she lost everything: “If I had gone out to be [...]
“I experienced unpredictability because I was working full-time and no longer had child care”
"I experienced unpredictability because I was working full-time and no longer had child care"
(Transcript) Build(ing) the Future: A Symposium on the Policies we need for an Equitable Future for Women & Families
If you don’t understand who’s being most impacted by your policies, your strategies, and what you think should be done, the policies and programs you put forth will be short sighted and not reflective of the lived experiences and realities of those who are most impacted.