Last Friday, CWEALF staff attended a rally in North Branford to support women’s equality. Because of the National House Democrats’ recently released agenda for the upcoming year, “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families,” the rally highlighted the need to ensure women’s equality by providing women with economic security.
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro and Minority House Leader Nancy Pelosi spearheaded the forum. Additionally, three women spoke about their personal experiences working in Connecticut and how their lives have been changed by women’s issues, such as the paid family leave program provided through their places of employment, and by organizations that provided them with affordable child care. They also praised Connecticut services that provided them with necessary employment skills, like job training.
The agenda for “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” focuses on improving and increasing pay, work-family balance, and child care. Regarding pay, women are making an average of only 77 cents for every dollar that men make. According to reports, family and medical leave protections do not cover almost half of all full-time employees, upsetting the balance between work and family and making it difficult for women to support their families. Additionally, there is inadequate funding to support child care programs in this country. The National House Democrats’ agenda seeks to mitigate all of these issues.
As part of CWEALF’s mission, we strive to promote equality for all women. We believe in economic equality, and advance programs that make it easier for women to better balance family and work and feel economically secure, like the Gender Pay Gap Study Task Force, the Campaign for a Working Connecticut, and the CT Campaign for Family Values at Work. Keep an eye out for our follow-up blog about the Family Medical Leave Act, and how it may work better for women in Connecticut!
