Real Family Values
Every year roughly four million women give birth in the United States, and most of them (more than three-quarters) start out breastfeeding. Study after study has affirmed the value of breastfeeding in protecting both mothers and children from a host of acute and chronic diseases and conditions, saving billions in health care costs. Breastfeeding mothers also report feeling more closely bonded with their babies—a factor which may lower the risk of postpartum depression.
Time to Protect Common Sense.
Shame on Them!
For decades, women and families have been penalized by punitive and predatory insurance practices that have restricted their access to quality, affordable care. But the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing that. It is the greatest advance for women’s health in a generation.
Record High Number of Discrimination Claims Alarming
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—the agency that enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination—announced that charges of discrimination hit an unprecedented level in 2010. News coverage over the past few days has focused on who or what is to blame, and what this could mean for the future.
New Data a Sobering Reminder that Nation’s Policies are Failing Millions of Workers, Families
Few workplace policies in the United States recognize the dual demands of work and family. Our lack of a paid sick time standard is a prime example.
An Important Step Toward Economic Security for Women of Color
We often talk about the importance of a for families’ economic security and our public health — but paid sick days are also an issue of basic fairness.
A Step in the Right Direction
Our country needs more adequate, reasonable and flexible sick leave policies. Tens of millions of workers in this country don’t have a single paid sick day. Many of those who do can’t use them to meet their family’s health needs. As a result, kids and their parents are forced to go to school or work sick, contagion spreads, and public health suffers.
How Far Have We Come When it Comes to Covering Women’s Birth Control? We Shall See.
Ten years ago today, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ruled that refusing to cover prescription contraception in an employee health plan – if other similar preventive services and prescription drugs were covered in that plan -violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the amendment to Title VII, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. It was a monumental victory for women, many of whom spend the majority of their reproductive lives (approximately three decades) trying to avoid an unintended pregnancy. Women rely on contraception to plan their families, and appropriately and safely space their children.
It’s Politics v. Science. Again.
It’s a fact: Contraceptive use improves overall health. It enables women to plan and space their pregnancies. It has contributed to dramatic declines in maternal and infant mortality. And it has been a driving force in reducing unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion.
Honoring our Families During National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month and National Family Caregivers Month
Imagine living with someone you are crazy about who gradually turns into a stranger. Alzheimer’s disease is a heartbreaking disease, not just because it takes a loved one in death, but because first, it takes that person’s mind, personality, memory and character – the things that made us love them in the first place.
Continuing the March toward Equality
A few weeks ago, voters sent a clear message: They want Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to address the issues facing working families. But when Senators took their first vote after returning to Washington, they missed the chance to do just that. Yesterday’s vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act was a failed opportunity and a real disappointment for all of us who care about fairness, women’s progress, and economic security for working families.
Paid Sick Days Champion Wins Connecticut Governorship
Dan Malloy, former mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, and staunch supporter of paid sick days, was elected governor of Connecticut earlier this month — demonstrating the importance of paid sick days to working families in Connecticut, and the power the issue can have in an election.
