Safety Nets

Women in the United States frequently lack basic services that are taken for granted in many other parts of the world. To be able to live in economic security, they require educational opportunities; paid sick leave; affordable, quality child care and elder care; as well as portable health care and adequate retirement benefits to protect them throughout their lives. While programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Food Stamps are available, they do not go far enough. More robust safety nets are needed to lift and keep women and their families out of poverty.

Anti-Union Efforts and Wisconsin's Women Workers

Submitted by Kate Meyer on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 7:28pm

By Kate Meyer*


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Early Childhood Funding at Risk

Submitted by Kyla Bender-Baird on Fri, 02/18/2011 - 2:13pm

Yesterday, the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) convened a call with the National Women's Law Center, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and First Five Years Fund.  The purpose of the call was to raise awareness about the current precarious position of early childhood funding. 


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Last Chance! Modernizing Unemployment Insurance

Submitted by Kyla Bender-Baird on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 12:51pm

By Libby Parker*

On February 11th, The National Employment Law Project (NELP) hosted a webinar on Taking Advantage of the Last Chance to Modernize Unemployment Insurance with Recovery Act Incentive Funds. Speakers included Gay Gilbert, the Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Unemployment Insurance; Senator John L. Scott of South Carolina, whose state adopted the modernization reforms last year; and NELP Unemployment Insurance (UI) experts, George Wentworth and Maurice Emsellem. With the August 2011 cut off for Recovery Act incentive funds quickly approaching, all the speakers emphasized the need for the remaining 18 states not currently qualified for such funding to modernize their unemployment insurance systems.


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Expert Profile

Location: 
United States
38° 54' 29.0844" N, 77° 2' 26.214" W
See map: Google Maps

Dr. Leslie R. Wolfe is President of the Center for Women Policy Studies, the Nation’s first feminist policy institute, founded in 1972. The Center’s mission today is what it was at its founding – to improve women’s lives and ensure women’s human rights through enlightened public policy.

A hallmark of the Center’s work is the multiethnic feminist lens through which we view all issues affecting women and girls. The Center’s Contract With Women of the USA® sets out 12 key principles for women’s human rights and equality, derived from the 1995 UN Platform for Action adopted in Beijing. With its national network of women state legislators in all 50 states, the Center works to transform these principles into public policy. See www.centerwomenpolicy.org for more about the Center’s signature programs).

Location

Washington, DC 20036
United States
38° 54' 29.0844" N, 77° 2' 26.214" W
See map: Google Maps

Expert Profile

Location: 
United States
40° 42' 27.5004" N, 74° 0' 28.4796" W
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Rinku Sen is the President and Executive Director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and Publisher of ColorLines magazine.

A leading figure in the racial justice movement for the last twenty years, Rinku has positioned ARC as the national home for media, research and activism. She has extensive practical experience on the ground, with expertise in race, feminism, immigration, economic justice, philanthropy and community organizing. Over the course of her career, Rinku has woven together journalism and organizing to further social change.

Rinku is the Vice Chair of the Schott Foundation for Public Education and a Boardmember of the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity. She is the Chair of the Media Consortium and sits on the boards for Restaurant Opportunities Center-United and Working America. Additionally, she is a Prime Movers fellow through the Hunt Alternatives Fund.

Location

New York, NY 10004
United States
40° 42' 27.5004" N, 74° 0' 28.4796" W
See map: Google Maps

Are We Rolling Back Child Care with Budget Cuts?

Submitted by Kyla Bender-Baird on Tue, 01/18/2011 - 1:21pm

By Kate Meyer*

The National Women’s Law Center hosted a call last week on What’s Next for Early Childhood in the 112th Congress with speakers Helen Blank of the National Women’s Law Center, Danielle Ewen of CLASP, Adele Robinson of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and Harriet Dichter of the First Five Years Fund. All of the presenters emphasized the importance of continuing to fund early childhood programs, especially childcare, Head Start, and Early Head Start, and were hopeful about the pending creation of the Early Learning Challenge Fund.


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Expert Profile

Location: 
United States
38° 54' 24.5736" N, 77° 2' 33.6012" W
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Dr. Mary Gatta is currently a Senior Scholar, at Wider Opportunities for Women. Prior to that she served as a Director, Gender and Workforce Policy at the Center for Women and Work, and on the faculty in the Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations at Rutgers University. She holds a PhD and M.A. in Sociology from Rutgers University and a B.A. in Social Science from Providence College. Her areas of expertise include gender and public policy, low wage workers, earnings inequality, and evaluation research on workforce projects.

Location

Washington, DC 20036
United States
38° 54' 24.5736" N, 77° 2' 33.6012" W
See map: Google Maps

New Report! Leaves That Pay

Submitted by Kyla Bender-Baird on Wed, 01/12/2011 - 3:44pm

This just in!  Eileen Applebaum from the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Ruth  Milkman have released findings from their latest report, Leaves that Pay: Employer and Worker Experiences with Paid Family Leave in California. In addition to new data and analysis on experiences with California's unique Paid Family Leave program, Applebaum and Milkman also offer a handy timeline of leave policymaking at the state and federal level as well as data on access to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). For instance, did you know that FMLA’s coverage is limited to only about half of all workers, and less than a fifth of all new mothers? 


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Leaves that Pay: Employer and Worker Experiences with Paid Family Leave in California

This report presents findings from surveys Eileen Applebaum and Ruth Milkman conducted in 2009 and 2010 of 253 employers and 500 individuals about their experiences with the California Paid Family Leave program and concludes with policy recommendations. The authors conclude that California’s Paid Family Leave program has “more than proven its worth," positvely impacting productivity and staff morale in addition to the economic, social, and health outcomes of workers and their families.  The biggest obstacle to full implementation is limited public awareness of the program.  To improve the impact of this path breaking program, Applebaum and Milkman recommend extending outreach, increasing the level of wage replacement, extend job protection to all users of the program, and extend the program to cover all California public employees. To read the report: click

Teaser: 

This report presents findings from surveys Eileen Applebaum and Ruth Milkman conducted in 2009 and 2010 of 253 employers and 500 individuals about their experiences with the California Paid Family Leave program and concludes with policy recommendations.

Cover Image: 
More Link: 
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/events/events/leaves-that-pay-employer-and-worker-experiences-with-paid-family-leave-in-california
Attachment: 
application/pdf iconLeavesThatPay_FINAL2.pdf
Post Date: 
01/12/2011
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