Economic Agenda for Women & Families

Despite the terrible heat wave that is currently enveloping Washington DC, representatives from a plethora of organizations and offices showed their support on the Capitol steps at an event on the women’s economic agenda. Not only was the event a great platform to discuss ways to improve the lives of working women, it was a great gathering spot for likeminded people who are passionate about improving women’s lives. To make the day even more special, we observed the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in American history.

The list of speakers was impressive: Leader Pelosi was joined by Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro, Doris Matsui, Nydia M. Velasquez, Donna Edwards and special guests who shared their personal stories. Each story highlighted the need for us to strengthen certain economic investments to help women and their families.

This week marks the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in U.S. history. The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton for the convention asserted that “all men and women are created equal” and called for legal and societal reforms reflecting that equal status, including “securing to woman an equal participation with men in the various trades, professions, and commerce” and – more radical still – granting women the right to vote.

This afternoon on Capitol Hill, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and several other House Democrats – women and men – gathered with women’s rights advocates of today to recognize the immense progress that women have made since 1848 – as well as the work yet to be done to ensure that women have equal opportunity to support themselves and their families. To address the challenges facing women in the 21st century, they unveiled an important new initiative, “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families.”

As Leader Pelosi observed in her remarks, women now make up close to half of the U.S. workforce, and more families rely on women’s income than ever before. At the same time, women represent nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers, and the typical woman working full time, year round is paid just 77 cents for every dollar paid to her male counterpart. Workplace policies that fail to accommodate the needs of working parents and inadequate access to high-quality, affordable child care compound economic challenges for many women. Throughout their lives, women are more likely than men to experience poverty. Read more »