Women's Rights
Standing on the shoulders of many strong women before me, I am a champion for equal rights for women.
Equal Pay. On average, women earn just 80 cents for every man's dollar in the U.S. – and the discrepancy is even worse for women of color. Even controlling for education, experience, industry, occupation, role and hours worked, the pay gap still exists. As a working mom, I know that women's paychecks keep families afloat. She has been a proud sponsor of the Equal Pay Act every year she has served in the legislature – and she'll continue to do so until women finally earn equal pay for equal work.
Harassment-Free Workplaces. Women never should have to tolerate sexual harassment in verbal, emotional, or physical form, and they should be able to expect respectful workplaces. After experiencing sexual harassment at the Capitol, I stood up to a fellow Representative to stop the abuse not only for myself, but for legislative aides and lobbyists who had been victims as well. I will continue to work to ensure that every worker is safe in the workplace, from hotel maids to elected officials.
Reproductive Healthcare. Every person should have access to quality healthcare – including regular check-ups and cancer screenings – at every stage of life. Because planning the size and spacing of children is important for family and economic reasons, we all need a full range of reproductive health care, including affordable contraceptives, access to abortion, and prenatal, labor/delivery and postnatal care. After my own two challenging pregnancies, I passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to protect employees from being discriminated or retaliated against because of pregnancy. Workers now have the peace of mind that they may request a chair to sit in while on duty or time off for prenatal appointments, without fear of being harassed or fired.
