A new analysis from the National Partnership for Women & Families and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, first shared with NBC News, found that close to 6.5 million Latinas (42% of all Latinas ages 15-49) live in 26 states that have banned or are likely to ban abortions after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade this summer.
“In 2021, the median pay for full-time women workers was about 83% of men’s pay, according to federal data, and women make less than their male counterparts in nearly all fields. For women of color, the numbers are even worse. A report by the National Partnership for Women and Families found that Black women make 64 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. For Latina women, it’s 54 cents and for Native American women, it’s just 51 cents.”
Shaina Goodman, director for reproductive health and rights at the National Partnership for Women and Families, emphasized that states with restrictive constellations of health and economic policies for pregnant and postpartum people, like abortion bans, no Medicaid coverage expansion for adults or postpartum people, and a lack of economic policies like paid leave and childcare, are also the states with high levels of maternity care deserts.
According to The National Partnership for Women & Families, the current gender wage gap is “even larger when measured over the long term because women are often pushed to spend time out of the workforce, in part due to caregiving.” This is compounded by the perception that workers are less committed to their jobs when they take parental leave, especially for men.
Vasu Reddy, senior policy counsel for economic justice at the National Partnership for Women and Families, says that opponents of paid leave include big businesses, trade associations, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “These groups continue to say that paid leave will be a burden on small businesses, but it’s not true,” she says. “We have reams of evidence to show that paid leave does not have a negative impact on small companies. Every state that has passed it has seen reduced worker turnover and less need to recruit and train new personnel. In fact, a recent survey found that at least 70 percent of small business owners support paid family and medical leave.”
“Paid Leave for All Action and the National Partnership for Women and Families Action Fund will release a scorecard ranking members of Congress on their support of paid leave.”
Position Joins Majority POC Executive Leadership Team
According to a 2018 report from the National Partnership for Women & Families, Black women are also more likely to experience maternal health complications throughout their pregnancies. Additionally, hospitals serving mostly Black communities provide lower-quality care, performing worse on 12 out of 15 types of birth outcomes, including elective deliveries, non-elective cesarean births, and maternal mortality. Additionally, the same report finds that Black women experience higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, which can negatively impact their maternal and infant health outcomes. Compared with white women, Black women are also more likely to be uninsured, more likely to face greater financial barriers to care, and less likely to access prenatal care.
“A 2021 study by National Partnership for Women & Families says pay for full-time Black women in 25 states ranges from 49 to 68 cents for every dollar paid to a white man.”
“I think what is immediately evident when you attend those meetings is that she is very much involved in the conversation,” Jocelyn Frye, an ally of the Biden administration who is president of the advocacy group National Partnership for Women and Families.
“The National Partnership for Women & Families said more than 4 million Ohio workers are without paid family leave as of February of this year.”
“Adding to these complexities is the fact that postpartum care remains woefully inadequate in the US. According to the National Partnership for Women & Families, only 19% of Americans have access to paid family leave through their employers, and only 40% have personal medical leave through short-term disability insurance. That means more than half of Americans don’t have the ability to take off from work to care for their new baby, properly recover, and adjust to their new normal.”
“But I wanted psychological and economic explanations of what might be going on, too. Part of the problem is that the (often inadequate) social and emotional support that exists has been further frayed, and it seems like no one is coming to mend it. For example, child care, which should be considered vital infrastructure, is still not functioning at prepandemic levels, according to Katherine Gallagher Robbins, a senior fellow at the National Partnership for Women & Families.”
Latinx employees reporting their employers offer no form of paid time off, according to a 2021 study by the National Partnership for Women & Families.
“Women’s progress has always been inextricably linked with the ability to control our own bodies,” Jocelyn Frye, the president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, told members of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform during a three-hour-plus hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building. “Access to abortion has been pivotal to women and all those who give birth,” Frye continued. “Research shows that restricting abortion impacts the health, safety, and welfare of people who are pregnant.”
A new analysis cited by Timmaraju from the National Partnership for Women & Families found that state abortion bans can harm nearly 15 million women of color. Latinos make up the largest group of women who will be harmed, at 6.5 million.
“Our nation’s leaders must stop ignoring what the data tell us time and time again — that paid family and medical leave is a critical support that families need, it is what Americans want, and it is what they deserve,” Jocelyn Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, said in a statement.
New national poll finds 4 in 5 Americans support paid time off for caregiving responsibilities
“In addition to offering adequate paid leave, employers should check to make sure their leave policies reflect the fact that families come in all forms,” said Jessica Mason, senior policy analyst for the National Partnership for Women and Families, a nonprofit advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. “Can your employees use their sick leave to care for an aunt or grandfather, as well as a spouse or for chosen family, which is especially important to support workers with disabilities and LGBTQ workers?”
The National Partnership for Women & Families, a nonprofit focused on racial and gender equity, said including seasonal workers, part-time employees and gig workers provides a more holistic view of pay equity issues. It also is more inclusive, as those positions are disproportionately held by women of color.
