Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: 09/03/2018 Weekly Review
Tuesday, September 11th, 2018
Stay engaged, involved, and up-to-date: In the weekly reviews from the Women’s Public Policy Network, we look back on last week’s highlights from the WPPN, share updates on bills affecting women that are moving at the Statehouse, showcase weekly news clips, and provide calls to action on bills pending in the Legislature. Sign up for our emails to receive these updates in your inbox every week!
POLICY MATTERS OHIO REPORTS: WHAT IS THE STATE OF WORKING OHIOANS?
On Labor Day, our partners at Policy Matters Ohio released their annual State of Working Ohio report, assessing the inequity experienced by workers in Ohio despite job growth, increased productivity, and low unemployment. Here’s a quick look at some of their findings:
“Women continue to earn less than men in Ohio, although in 2017 women’s median wages rose slightly (from $15.85 to $16.15) while men’s slid a bit (from $19.38 to $19.29). Still, men earn more than $3.00 more each hour than women do, translating to more than a $6,500 difference with full-time year-round work. This disparity has improved dramatically over the nearly 40 years of this analysis, due both to rising women’s wages and shrinking men’s wages at the median, when adjusted for inflation.
Women’s labor force participation climbed steadily throughout the 1980s and ’90s before hitting a peak of 62.4 percent in 2008. After that the rate fell sharply and has stayed low, at just 57.7 percent by the end of 2017, up slightly over that calendar year from 57.2 percent. Male labor force participation, in contrast, fell in most years of our analysis and was 68.6 percent by the end of 2017, up slightly over the previous year, but down more than 10 percentage points from its peak of 79.6 percent in 1979.”
Policy Matters’ report explores the state of workers in Ohio, and highlights policy recommendations to support economic prosperity. These policies are crucial to working women who play important roles as primary, sole, or co-breadwinners for nearly two-thirds of Ohio households. [Read the full report here].
How The Birth Control Mandate Rollback Has Affected Women, Nearly One Year Later
Bustle, August 29, 2018
At Wells Fargo, Discontent Simmers Among Female Executives
The Wall Street Journal, August 31, 2018
U.S. judge blocks Texas fetal tissue burial laws
Reuters, September 5, 2018
The Farm Bill’s Threat to Food Security
The Atlantic, September 6, 2018
Stay-at-Home Dads Are Reshaping American Masculinity
The Atlantic, September 6, 2018
Brett Kavanaugh Refers to Birth Control As ‘Abortion-Inducing’ Drugs At Confirmation Hearing
The Huffington Post, September 6, 2018
NBC News, September 7, 2018
If Kavanaugh is confirmed, any of these 13 cases could end Roe v. Wade
Vox, September 7, 2018
Emails raise questions about Brett Kavanaugh’s positions
The Columbus Dispatch, September 7, 2018
Opinion: Kavanaugh could still vote to overturn Roe despite calling it ‘settled law’
The Cincinnati Enquirer, September 8, 2018
The gender gap in K-12 education you never knew about
Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 10, 2018
Serena Williams’ Treatment at the U.S. Open Is About More Than Tennis
Teen Vogue, September 10, 2018
Serena Williams is calling out sexism in tennis. Here’s why.
CNN, September 10, 2018
The Children’s Defense Fund Ohio – Beat the Odds Legacy Event
Friday, September 14, 2018
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
The Ohio State University, Fawcett Center,
2400 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio – Spark Report Coffee & Conversation: Equal Pay
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
8:00 am- 8:30 am: Coffee & light breakfast
8:30 am – 9:30 am: Presentation & Discussion
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio offices
2323 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 230
Columbus, Ohio 43204
Cost: $10.00, scholarships available
Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence – Annual SART Summit
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Delaware County Board of Development Disabilities
7991 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center, Oh 43035
YWCA Columbus – Activists and Agitators Event
Thursday, October 4, 2018
5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Greater Columbus Convention Center
400 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215
The Ohio Sex Education Summit – Presented by the Ohio Center for Sex Education at Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
9:00 am – 3:00 pm
The Fawcett Center at The Ohio State University
2400 Olentangy River Road
Columbus, Ohio 43210
3RD ANNUAL OHIO URBAN RESOURCES SYSTEM CONFERENCE
Let’s Get Back to Work
Wednesday October 24 – Friday, October 26, 2018
Renaissance Toledo Downtown
444 N. Summit Street
Toledo, OH 43604
#OHLEG ALERT
We are tracking the progress of any state bills affecting women in the Ohio Legislature for the 132nd General Assembly. The House and Senate were out last week and will also be out this upcoming week for summer recess; there are no new updates.
RAISE YOUR VOICE TO #SAVESCOTUS
The Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh may be over, but we still need Ohioans to stand up and speak out against his nomination to the Supreme Court. During the hearing, disclosed emails revealed that Kavanaugh suggested Roe v. Wade was not settled law.
Throughout Trump’s presidential campaign, he vowed to appoint only pro-life Judges who would overturn Roe v. Wade and dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Now, that threat is very real.
Kavanaugh’s nomination would be disastrous for women – particularly women of color. There is too much at stake to sit on the sidelines.
Call (202) 224-3121 to connect with Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman. Urge them to stand with Ohio women and reject Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh’s nomination threatens to shift the balance of the courts and he has proven that he will not stand up for the constitutional rights of women. He would fundamentally shift the balance of the courts against women, workers, LGBTQ people, and communities of color. Use our Supreme Court Toolkit to make your voice heard.
RAISE YOUR VOICE TO SUPPORT THE VAWA
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is one of the nation’s primary tools in addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
The bill is up for re-authorization this year, and is set to expire on September 30, 2018.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has introduced a VAWA reauthorization bill in the U.S. House (H.R. 6545), but Congress has failed to take action to advance the legislation. The bill:
- Increases authorization for the Rape Prevention & Education Program from $50 million to $150 million to address skyrocketing need and demand for community prevention programs;
- Returns sovereignty to tribes to prosecute non-native offenders of sexual assault, trafficking, stalking, and child abuse;
- Adds new definitions including Abuse in Later Life; Alternative Justice Response; Digital Services; Forced Marriage; Economic Abuse; and Technological Abuse and updates the definition of domestic violence;
- Strengthens public housing protections for survivors including those seeking housing transfers based on safety concerns;
- Adds a new purpose to the Improving Criminal Justice Response grant program to implement alternative justice responses that are focused on victim autonomy, agency and safety to provide resolution and restitution for the victim;
- Strengthens privacy protections across state line, online with digital records, and preserves confidentiality upon survivor’s death in accordance with their wishes;
- Acknowledges the trauma of incarceration on women and their family members, especially their children, and improves health care services and trauma informed responses to better prepare incarcerated women to return to their communities;
- Improves enforcement of current federal domestic violence-related firearms laws and closes loopholes to reduce firearm-involved abuse and intimate partner homicide; and
- Expands VAWA’s ability to respond to sexual harassment.
The VAWA re-authorization bill provides critical protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking. But it needs your help to ensure passage before the September 30 deadline.
TAKE ACTION
Call your member of Congress NOW [Find your Representative here]:
If your Representative has not signed on as a co-sponsor of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 6545), urge them to do so immediately.
If your Representative has are already signed on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 6545, thank them for doing so.
