Reproductive Rights

Women’s Rights

FAIR PAY

Mission: We must commit to ensuring equal pay for equal work and creating an economy where opportunity is fairly distributed to all. Since the Equal Pay Act of 1963, equal pay for equal work without gender discrimination has been the law of the land. But achieving this goal as a reality is still in our future. In the more than 50 years that have passed, the wage gap has shrunk, but not disappeared: women used to earn 60 cents for every dollar earned by men, and now they earn 80 cents on the dollar nationwide. This wage gap is even higher for women of color. New York State is a leader in reducing the wage gap: the women of New York earn 89.1 cents for every dollar earned by men. However, 14.8% of women in New York State still live in poverty.

  • In addition to fighting discrimination, we must work to enact policies that allow both men and women to move in and out of the workforce as needed to pursue educational opportunities or care for dependents.

WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE

Mission: I will defend a woman’s right to choose and to access safe, legal, and affordable health care. Reproductive health should not be a privilege for only those who can afford it. As the biggest women’s health care provider in our district, I will defend federal funding to Planned Parenthood, as well as any other program that provides safe and affordable health care to our constituents.

COMBATTING SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Mission: Sexual harassment in the workplace is prohibited by federal nondiscrimination law. But legal protections for workers need strengthening, and as the ongoing national conversation on sexual misconduct demonstrates, women are still subject to assault and harassment both in the workplace and outside it. Women make up the majority of low-wage workers, who may be even more likely to experience harassment on the job. Eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace is also an economic issue for the victims, who often end up leaving their jobs or suffering professional consequences in response to the harassment they are subject to.
  • We must support initiatives that increase women’s participation in leadership positions, which is critical to changing the culture of sexual harassment in workplaces.
  • We must also establish remedies for those who are sexually assaulted or harassed outside of the workplace.
  • I support the Fair Employment Protection Act and would work to advance it in Congress.
Reading Resources:
  • https://nwlc.org/issue/equal-pay-and-the-wage-gap/
  • https://now.org/resource/women-deserve-equal-pay-factsheet/
  • https://iwpr.org/issue/employment-education-economic-change/pay-equity-discrimination/
  • https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2016/04/12/135267/next-steps-for-progress-on-equal-pay/