What, exactly, is going on with the economy these days? On one hand, there are headlines about an impending recession and on the other hand the unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been in decades. Rents are declining a bit, but still up hugely over the last year. And what about the cost of eggs?!
Today the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its annual data on union members in the United States, showing small declines in the rate of union membership over the last year. Our analysis shows that while unions raise wages – especially for women – far too few workers were able to access their benefits in 2022.
The most recent #JobsDay data show the strength of the economy in 2022. But the data also show that labor force participation remains below pre-pandemic levels for many groups of women, with Black women and Latinas suffering the largest declines between February 2020 and December 2022 of 1.9 and 1.8 percentage points, respectively.
Vasu Reddy, Senior Policy Counsel for Economic Justice at the National Partnership for Women & Families, recently briefed Open to All Corporate Partners on the National Partnership’s latest report, entitled “Partnership in Action: A Guide to Building Gender Equity in the Workplace.” The guide serves as an introduction to the policies and benefits companies can implement to help women, especially women of color, return to the workforce.
December 8th marks one day that does not merit the large family gatherings, endless servings of pasteles washed down with glasses of coquito, and other winter holiday traditions practiced by many Latine households: Latina Equal Pay Day.
Public policy has the power to set women and families up for success, and new data released by the Census Bureau yesterday provide a critical look at where our country stands on the issues that matter most in determining just how successful they are. The data, which look at poverty, health insurance, and income in the United States, make clear that policy makers have unfinished business to take care of to make sure women and families have all the supports they need to live healthy and secure lives.
Well, it’s Moms’ Equal Pay Day again. All the way in September. That’s right – a typical mother would have to work nine additional months into 2022 just to be paid what fathers made in 2021. And wow, has it been a tough nine months for moms in the United States.
Two years ago today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the landmark case, Bostock v. Clayton County, which ruled that that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. While many LGBTQ+ advocates celebrated this decision as a monumental step forward, the question remains whether the lived experiences of real people have truly changed for the better since the ruling.
Acknowledging the unique wage gap between white men and AANHPI women is more important than ever, and forces us to take a closer look at the many myths and barriers in the way of achieving pay equity for AANHPI women in particular.
Why observe Equal Pay Day, year after year, if it’s such a bummer? Because the wage gap is a way of talking about the tangible consequences that sexism and racism in our economy have on women. And it touches so many women year after year, no matter their occupation, education level or age.
National Immigrant Heritage Month is an opportunity to recognize the exceptional historic contributions immigrants have made in this country, or perhaps for some, even grapple with anti-immigrant attitudes and rhetoric that continue to marginalize and scapegoat those communities.
Black women face a unique struggle at the intersection of race and gender as it pertains to advancing their professional careers. They are systematically held at specific positions or levels in the workplace, and not always given opportunities to advance. My story is similar.
The wage gap is just one of many examples of the burden women of color bear by living in a white supremacist and patriarchal society.
Eighty years ago today, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – the cornerstone of labor protections for working people in the United States – was enacted. While its protections for working people remain in place today, so, unfortunately, do its exclusions, which disproportionately harm women and people of color.
Workers need strong workplace policies – and strong unions – to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect. But working people are under attack.
Unless Congress enacts legislation that will help all women receive higher wages and remain and succeed in the workforce, women and families, and especially women of color, will continue to suffer – and our economy and nation will pay the price.
Working people and organizations across the country are coming together to stand up and speak out to remind elected officials that America needs strong workplace protections – and strong unions.
Equal Pay Day, April 4, is the day that marks how far into 2017 women have had to work to be paid the same amount men were paid in 2016. It’s a stunning indication that something is seriously wrong, and a time to ask what we’re doing as a nation to fix the problem
The nation is poised for progress, but it will only come if lawmakers recognize that strengthening our economy will require paying as much attention to the kinds of jobs that are available as they pay to creating or keeping jobs in the United States.
Today is the eighth and final Labor Day the country will celebrate with Barack Obama as its president. It’s well worth taking a moment to appreciate his deep and enduring commitment to equal opportunity for women in the workplace.
