On this sad occasion for the entire nation, we wish to commend Senator Edward Kennedy’s 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 women’s organizations, speaks in support of fair pay legislation at a press conference on Capitol Hill, January 2007

Senator Kennedy, surrounded by leaders of women’s organizations, speaks in support of fair pay legislation at a press conference on Capitol Hill, January 2007