In the Lead
Maine’s Latest Budget Establishes State’s First Paid Leave Program and Boosts Child Care
This week, Governor Janet Mills signed into law Maine’s latest budget, which invests $25 million in a state paid family and medical leave program. The passage of the budget represents a major victory for workers and advocates, who fought to establish critical protections for workers who must take time away from work due to caregiving obligations or health needs. With passage of this budget bill, Maine becomes the 14th state (including D.C.) to require mandatory paid leave for workers who [...]
Dismantling Barriers to Degree Attainment for Black Single Mother Students
A college degree can be a critical tool to economic stability, security, and advancement, yet structural and systemic issues create challenges for some students. Black single mothers pursuing higher education are disproportionately impacted by factors including lack of child care, educational affordability, and housing. Because of the compounding impact of intersecting forms of discrimination, policymakers must take an intersectional approach, targeting the structural disadvantages that affect Black women’s experiences within higher education. Due to a history of discrimination and educational [...]
Supreme Court Blocks Biden Student Debt Relief Program
Today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that the Biden Administration’s student debt relief program is unlawful and beyond the scope of executive authority. The program would have eliminated up to $10,000 of student debt for borrowers earning up to $125,000 per year ($250,000 for married couples) and up to $20,000 of student debt for borrowers who participated in the Pell Grant program. The Court’s striking down of this program is a devastating blow to efforts to improve college accessibility and [...]
The U.S. National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace
Women have long been at the forefront of the labor rights movements. Yet, in 2023, women still face high rates of gender-based violence in the workforce and are often last considered in labor protections. Due to global gender inequity, workplace gender-based violence is a global problem that is experienced in all fields of work. Despite growing attention and activism around gender-based violence in the workplace, gender discrimination remains a serious problem. President Biden came into office announcing his intention to [...]
One Year Ago This Week, A Supreme Court Leak Foretold the End of Roe v. Wade
This week marks a full year since Politico published a leaked draft of the opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case that overturned Roe v. Wade. That leak turned out to be an accurate preview of what we all feared was coming: the complete upending of abortion access across the United States. The Dobbs decision has had devastating impacts, triggering a cascade of abortion bans in the states. A year on from the leak, 14 states [...]
Reflecting On All Women’s History This March
The year was 1963: President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated to his second presidential term, the Vietnam and Cold Wars were at their peak, and segregation and its consequences were contaminating the nation. While prices were lower, the cost of denial of human rights was at an all-time high. The American public had to confront the social, political, and economic injustice that founded the country. A critical step in that direction was the passage of the Equal Pay Act, which [...]
