(New York, N.Y.) The following is a statement from Dina Bakst and Sherry Leiwant, Co-Founders & Co-Presidents of A Better Balance:
“A Better Balance applauds The National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality for its ambitious agenda for the Biden Administration and those to come. With this roadmap, our nation can close pernicious gender gaps and propel us toward a world with equal opportunity for all people.
As an organization dedicated to advancing justice for workers caring for themselves and their loved ones, we are especially thrilled with the Strategy’s recognition that strengthening women’s economic security and dismantling barriers to workforce participation are critical to achieving gender equity—especially against the backdrop of a longstanding caregiving crisis that has disproportionately burdened low-wage workers and women of color.
The Strategy makes a bold commitment to enact strong, family-supportive policies, including paid family and medical leave, paid sick time, and fair and flexible scheduling. Importantly, the Strategy also calls for policies to put a stop to pervasive discrimination against pregnant and parenting workers, close the gender wage gap, and make key investments in affordable, accessible child care, elder care, and home care. As the Strategy recognizes, the essential role that women play in our workplaces and as the majority of our nation’s caregivers has been undervalued for too long.
We applaud the administration’s dedication to building an intersectional set of policies that will advance gender equity and break down systemic racism and other barriers in a longterm, sustainable way, while also prioritizing providing real, urgent relief to women and families right now. We look forward to working with the Administration to advance this agenda in the months and years to come.”
