Sunday News Update: October 26, 2014

Posted on October 26, 2014 by CNF • Posted in General • Tagged Family Act, public policy, Valerie Young, women in the workplace • Leave a comment

Welcome to Brain, Child’s Sunday policy update where we look at issues impacting women and children with Valerie Young, Public Policy Analyst for Mom-mentum.

The mid-term elections are less than two weeks away. Early voting has already started in some jurisdictions. If you’re worried about actually making it to the polls on November 4, you may have other opportunities between now and then. Check out this interactive map to find out what’s available where you live.

Women can influence the presidential election in 2016 by showing up for the midterms now. Strategists will be looking to see how we vote, and which party attracts the most unmarried women, who make up the gender gap and are numerous enough to determine the outcome. Candidates know it’s not just reproductive rights that women care about, but economic issues too, like equal pay, paid leave and the minimum wage. If these issues bring women to the polls now, we’lll be in a stronger position in the next campaign cycle.

There’s no shortage of problems in need of policy solutions. Our lack of paid leave is a big one, and affects millions of families every year, as shown in this series of graphics from Surprising Statistics That Prove Family Leave Is Broken in the United States on BlogHer. One important fact is that the Family Act, the bill for paid family leave insurance (like maternity and paternity leave) is not paid for with public funds. It’s an earned benefit financed by through payroll deductions of about $2.00 per week per worker. Many still think it would increase public spending.

Workplace flexibility is another area ripe for legislative attention. It’s much more common for men to have access to it (80% according to this Working Mother Magazine survey). This data suggests fathers believe in sharing both childcare and household chores equally with their wives, reports Nanette Fondas in The Parent Trap on The Weekly Wonk. They will certainly need flexibility to make that 50/50 split a reality. And 39% of those survey respondents are willing to go further, stating they’d rather be stay at home dads.

What mothers need in order to participate in the paid labor force is a serious question. According to Heather Boushey at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, women’s entry into the workplace pushed up national economic productivity by 11% in 2012. It also significantly raised household incomes. Future economic growth will require women’s ability to maximize their income potential at work while caring for children and other family members at the same time. Men’s greater involvement on the home front is a part of this. Revising employment law to facilitate the family care duties of workers, and protect them from discrimination, is another.

Follow Valerie on Facebook at Your (Wo)Man in Washington, and on Twitter @WomanInDC

Sunday News Update: September 28, 2014

Posted on September 28, 2014 by CNF • Posted in General • Tagged Emily Watson, Mom-mentum, NAMC, news, public policy, Valerie Young, women and policy • Leave a comment

Welcome to Brain, Child’s Sunday policy update where we look at issues impacting women and children with Valerie Young, Public Policy Analyst for Mom-mentum formerly National Association of Mothers’ Centers.

With mid-term elections now on the horizon, the members of Congress have scampered home to look after their seats. Your (Wo)Man in Washington is still at her post, however, and sends us this summary of weekly highlights.

We haven’t seen this before – the US Department of Labor is promoting paid leave with this video, comparing Germany’s 14 weeks of maternity leave to the US’s 0 weeks. Because a national standard is such a heavy lift in this country, the DOL’s Women’s Bureau is also channeling big money to 3 states and the District of Columbia to fund feasibility studies for state-wide paid leave programs. Labor Secretary Tom Perez says “We need to do more to give people the tools to be responsible employees and good caregivers, so they don’t have to choose between the families they love and the jobs and economic security they need.” It’s a start.

Are women’s magazine waking up? (We know Brain, Child has always been awake: ) See what you make of some of these issues covered in mainstream women’s magazines this week: Elle just posted Why Women’s Role in Politics Is More Important Than Ever. Glamour has come out with Motherhood, Penalty Begone and Vanity Fair invites you to Watch Emma Watson Deliver a Game-Changing Speech on Feminism at the U.N. Maybe there IS more to life than a model search of Fall’s “must have” accessories.

There may be more to the pay gap than what happens at work. In fact, the disparity may start much, much earlier, according to the New York Times Motherlode blog, and parents could be implicated. “While it’s true that plenty of discrimination exists in the workplace, the way we rear our daughters probably contributes something to the persistent wage gap that exists among adults.” Something to think about.

Follow Valerie on Facebook at Your (Wo)Man in Washington, and on Twitter @WomanInDC. Valerie went to a feminist conference in New York City last weekend. See her thoughts at Mom-mentum’s Your Woman in Washington blog.

Sunday News Update, September 21, 2014

Posted on September 20, 2014 by CNF • Posted in General • Tagged Paycheck Fairness Act, public policy, Valerie Young, Washington • Leave a comment

After moving the Paycheck Fairness Act forward last week, the US Senate killed it this week, falling 8 votes short of the 60 needed to keep it going. Cited by the Republican opposition is the bill’s protection of workers who discuss their compensation with colleagues from retaliatory action by their employer. Without wage transparency, it’s hard to know if discrimination is occurring.The Senate’s action was particularly disappointing as the latest poverty data, from the US Census Bureau and released this week, shows that women still make far less than men, even when employed full time and year round. The pay gap narrowed by one cent, but is still yawning 22%. Wages are totally flat, and the poverty rate is not decreasing at all. Sigh.

A whole panel of female members of Congress, Hillary Clinton, and other women wonks had a great discussion Thursday morning at the Center for American Progress under the title Why Women’s Economic Security Matters To All. Everything came up – child care as economic policy, pay equity, family leave and sick leave, women in public office—it was all on the table.

Hillary Clinton is under a lot of scrutiny, and her comments at the event were parsed to see if her intention to run in the next presidential election could be discerned. The New York Times devoted a whole article just to what she said – even though all that political estrogen in one room is newsworthy in and of itself. “The difference women and men face in getting the kinds of jobs that will provide the kind of income they need for themselves and their families is roiling beneath the surface of the political debates,” Mrs. Clinton said, according to the New York Times.

Parting shots:

From US News: “Even though it’s the biggest economy in the world, the U.S. falls far behind other developed countries when it comes to requiring pay during sick days, which advocates say could improve productivity, boost morale, support public health and even enhance a business’s bottom line.”Can you avoid hitting the motherhood penalty? Flexjobs.com has some suggestions—but they won’t make an immediate fix.

When applying jobs, don’t think you actually have to possess all the requirements listed. Other applicants don’t. A fabulous article from the Harvard Businss Review, Why Women Don’t Apply For Jobs Unless They Are 100% Qualified.

Until next week…