“We applaud President Biden and Vice President Harris for issuing the first-ever National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality. Today’s announcement is another testament to the administration’s commitment – in word and deed – to ensuring that women and girls in this country have a level playing field to stand on for their whole lives, from youth through adulthood.

“This historic moment is a catalyst for change we’ve been calling for as we have pushed our nation’s leaders to adopt intersectional approaches to their work. Addressing the structures leading to discrimination that women and girls have experienced for generations in this country – biases related to gender, race and other factors including sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, disability, age and socioeconomic status – is a revolutionary step forward for the Biden-Harris administration.

“We commend The Administration for developing a strategy which acknowledges the disproportionate effects of this pandemic on women of color; lifts up the need for an economy with care at the center; the importance of the inclusion of health care as a right; the necessity of health equity in the fight to cut down maternal mortality as well as protecting abortion access; and the inclusion of gender-based violence, notably during this Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“For 50 years, the National Partnership for Women & Families has called on our leaders to make decisions that not only take women and families into consideration, but that put them at the forefront of the conversation.

“We look forward to our continued work with the White House Gender Policy Council and agencies to make this strategy a reality, which will include: continuing to expand and improve health care access and equity, defending the constitutional right to safe and legal abortion in the United States, promoting access to sexual and reproductive health and rights both at home and abroad, advancing policies that promote well-paying jobs and opportunities, particularly for caregiving and frontline workers, addressing discrimination and systemic barriers, closing the gender wealth gap, and passing priorities such as comprehensive paid family and medical leave – an essential component of an economy that works for all women and families.”