Women Employed has moved! Please note our new address:
1 E Wacker Drive, Suite 3110, Chicago, IL 60601.
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Breaking News:
Tune into ABC-7 Chicago today (10/21) at 4:00 p.m. (CT) to hear WE's Sharmili Majmudar speak about Latina Equal Pay Day. Then, tune into WTTW Chicago Tonight at 7:00 p.m. (CT) to hear WE's Sarah Labadie speak about paid family leave and the letter from Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, to Congress.
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Domestic Violence Awareness Month
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and an opportunity to shine a light on how domestic violence is particularly corrosive to survivors' efforts to establish financial security and economic independence for themselves and their families. With our Domestic Violence and Economic Empowerment (DVEE) Project, Women Employed is focused on improving how Chicagoland survivors are connected with services that attach them to meaningful employment, promoting economic independence. This project is a featured action item in the City of Chicago’s Gender-Based Violence Strategic Plan.
Within the group of low-paid women facing barriers to economic advancement, domestic violence survivors have been particularly hard hit by COVID-19; prior to the pandemic, they were already facing economic devastation. The Chicago Police Department reported double-digit percentage spikes in domestic violence calls for service. According to FreeFrom and metoo’s 2020 Measuring the Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Survivors of Color study, unemployment, unsafe work, food and housing insecurity, economic precarity, and health insecurity place heavy burdens on populations already facing trauma from violence. This “collision of crises” threatens to have a negative impact on long-term outcomes for generations to come. Data shows that COVID-19 related financial insecurity is greatest among Black and Latina/x women survivors, and that financial security reduces the likelihood of returning to an abusive partner.
With primary support from the Michael Reese Health Trust, Women Employed is utilizing surveys, interviews, and focus groups to gather the insights of workforce development practitioners, domestic violence professionals, and survivors to craft solutions to address pain points and strengthen cross-sector partnerships. The resulting report will share recommendations and best practices to build relationships and pathways from domestic violence agencies to community-based organizations offering services that will guide survivors to a path of financial and economic security. For more information about the DVEE Project, reach out to Sharmili Majmudar, EVP of Policy and Organizational Impact, at smajmudar@womenemployed.org.
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HAPPENING TODAY: Latina Equal Pay Day Event
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Today is Latina/x Equal Pay Day, a day that marks how far into 2021 Latina/x women must work to earn the same amount white, non-Hispanic men earned in 2020. That’s nearly ten extra months, as Latina/x women experience one of the widest pay gaps of any group due to the compounding effects of sexism, racism, and xenophobia. In coalition with Equal Pay Day Chicago, WE is proud to host Chicago’s virtual Equal Pay Day event:
Non-Negotiable: Pay Equity for Women
Thursday, October 21, 2021
4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
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The event will feature a salary negotiation workshop led by Women Employed’s Associate Director of Business Development, Ibie Hart, which will focus on the particular barriers facing Latina/x women and other women of color and equip participants with tools to be an effective advocate. The event will also feature a panel conversation focused on the broader systemic, structural, and societal barriers to pay equity, and highlight what we can all do to make an impact!
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Tell Congress We Need Paid Leave and Child Care in the Budget Reconciliation Package
We cannot let up now—we need to continue putting the pressure on Congress to pass a budget package that includes paid leave and investments in child care! Without our advocacy, we may miss out on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure a national paid leave program and investments in child care that will transform the lives of working women across this country. These policies are essential to help parents stay in the workforce or return to work, keep families safe, and continue our economic recovery.
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Call Your Representative in the House to vote YES for the PUMP Act before Friday's Vote
The right to pump during the workday has a BIG impact on breastfeeding success, but 1 in 4 women of childbearing age are not covered by the existing Break Time for Nursing Mothers law. This Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives is voting on the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act, the strongest workplace lactation law ever proposed in Congress that would expand breastfeeding protections to nearly 9 million women of childbearing age who are not currently covered.
Urge your Representative in the House to vote YES for the PUMP Act today by texting PUMP to 747464 (provided by MomsRising) or calling 1-855-880-2155 (provided by ACLU) to be connected with the office of your congressperson.
Call Script:
Hello, my name is [________]. I live in [city, state, zip code] and am a constituent of Representative [name]. I’m calling to urge the Representative to vote yes in support of House Bill 3110, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act. This bill will cover 9 million women of childbearing age who don’t currently have protections that would give them time and a private space to pump breast milk at work. This is wrong and must be fixed. Passage of the PUMP Act would make a world of difference for families and I hope you’ll vote yes when it comes to the floor.
[Add your own words about why this bill is important and why your Representative should support it. Share your own story.]
Thank you for taking action!
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EVENT RECAP: Shaping the Future of Work: A Conversation about Women and the Workplace Post-COVID
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Earlier this month, WE’s Cherita Ellens was a panelist for a PBS national online broadcast event, “Shaping the Future of Work: A Conversation about Women and the Workplace Post-COVID,” which was part of a series of conversations based on the three-part documentary “Future of Work” that aired on PBS last month. Co-hosted by PBS and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, this conversation highlighted the issues facing working women and their families right now, and what we can do to build a better work culture where all women can thrive.
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Announcing the Election of Two New Board Members
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They enlist friends, family, and colleagues; chair committees; host meetings; provide fiduciary oversight; strategize; and generously provide support, guidance, time, talent, and treasure. Women Employed’s Board of Directors steer the organization towards our mission of closing the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender, and we’re excited to announce the election of two new members: Kate Attea, Founder and Managing Partner of Aim and Arrow, and Carrie Garcia Palmer, Vice President and Associate General Counsel of R1 RCM Inc.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kate and Carrie to our Board of Directors. As we embark on a new strategic plan, their commitment and their expertise will ensure that we can drive organizational excellence and succeed in our important work to grow the economic power of women in Illinois,” - Cherita Ellens, President and CEO
Click here to learn more about the new members of WE’s Board of Directors.
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Work With Us!
Women Employed is hiring! Check out our current job openings:
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Help sustain our work to advance equity for working women, and to close the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender, by joining Elevate, our monthly giving community.
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