Concerned About How the Recession is Affecting Women? Make Your Voice Heard!

Nearly two million jobs disappeared over the past year, and many more home mortgage foreclosures are expected. Women and their children, especially those at the bottom of the economic ladder and the very elderly, may be hurt the most by a deepening recession. What can be done to help those most in need during our economic crisis, and how do we assure that women and their families are addressed in economic stimulus proposals?

The National Organization for Women (NOW) has joined with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and 30 other organizations to host and participate in a series of local town hall meetings in a number of major cities. We encourage feminist activists to attend Road to Economic Recovery Town Hall meetings in their area, beginning this week and lasting through January. Joining together and speaking out is a primary way we can ensure that women's voices and needs are heard and included in proposals to address the economic crisis. We list a few critical points below and you can refer to NOW's Feminist Action Agenda and other articles linked below for more ideas.

Visit Road to Economic Recovery for a list of events in your area and for details on the date, time and location of the town hall meeting in your city.

Raise your voice for a just economic stimulus plan that:

• Creates job in professions that build on human capital such as social work, education, child care and library workers
• Ensures that women have access to high-paying, traditionally male-dominated fields
• Pays women equal wages for equal work
• Provides affordable, high-quality childcare
• Repairs the shredded social safety net to give women a clear path out of poverty
• Makes the minimum wage a liveable wage and establishes proportionate parity in pay and benefits for part-time and contingent workers

...and much more.

Resources:

Use NOW's Feminist Action Agenda as a resource for demanding equality and opportunity for women.

"Where's the 'Bailout' for the Millions of Women and Children Falling Deeper into Poverty?" (NOW)

"Where are the Jobs for Women?" (New York Times)