National Women's Law Center

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Contact: Ranit Schmelzer or Adrienne Ammerman, 202-588-5180

NWLC APPLAUDS NEW WHITE HOUSE COUNCIL
ON WOMEN AND GIRLS

(Washington, DC) The National Women’s Law Center today applauded the creation of the White House Council on Women and Girls. President Obama signed an Executive Order creating the new Council at a White House ceremony this afternoon, attended by the Center. The Council will provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and ensure that all agencies consider how their policies impact women and families.

“Today, everyone is vulnerable,” said Nancy Duff Campbell, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center. “But women – who have lower wages than men, higher rates of poverty, and are more likely to be supporting children on their own – are especially so. It is critical that as Administration programs and policies are considered, the unique needs of women and girls are top of mind.”

Instead of providing needed supports to women and their families, in recent years one or more of the three branches of government have weakened critical government programs, gutted core protections, and backed initiatives to meet both continuing and new challenges and needs.

“In less than two months, the new Congress and the Obama Administration have made some significant advances for women and families – including passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signing SCHIP legislation, and proposing a budget that invests in women and families. But more needs to be done,” said Marcia Greenberger, NWLC Co-President. “We welcome this new Council and look forward to working with everyone involved to ensure that we continue to see improvements in the lives of women and their families.”

Some of the critical problems faced by women and girls are illustrated by the fact that:

One in four girls drops out of high school, resulting in an average annual income that falls $9,100 below even the low wages earned by male high school dropouts.
Women working full time earn, on average, only 78 cents for every dollar paid to men and face wage gaps and glass ceilings across a wide spectrum of occupations.
More than 14 million women – one in eight – live in poverty, and single women, women of color and elderly women are especially vulnerable.
More than 17 million women have no health insurance.
Federal child care assistance is provided to only one in seven eligible children.

The National Women’s Law Center has developed a Platform for Progress, www.nwlc.org/platform, with concrete proposals to address the unmet needs of women and their families in the areas of education, employment, basic economic security, health, and legal rights.

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