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First created during World War I to study women’s employment
during and after the war, the Women’s Bureau became a federal government
fixture in 1920. 97 years later, the Bureau continues to advocate on behalf of
working women. Click here
to read the blog post by Women’s Bureau Program Analyst, Tracie Sanchez, on the
history and work of the Bureau.
During May, the Bureau celebrated the culture, history, and
achievements of the nearly 22 million Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in
our country. The Women’s Bureau took the opportunity to honor AAPI women that
have made remarkable contributions to the science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics fields, or STEM fields. Click here to read
the blog by Women’s Bureau Economist, Michelle Vaca.
The Women’s Bureau work every day to support all women in
the workforce, which certainly includes the hardworking mothers of our country.
In celebration of Mother’s Day, the Bureau presented some noteworthy facts
about American mothers in the workplace.
Click here
to read the blog post by Women’s Bureau Senior Researcher, Christin Landivar.
On March 23, 2017, the Women’s Bureau hosted a
listening session with ‘9 to 5,’ a membership-based organization of low-income
women. The purpose of the listening session was to provide grassroots low-wage
women leaders from around the country the opportunity to share insight on
important issues facing low-income women, such as caregiving and paid family
leave.
Regional Spotlight
Promoting Diversity in the Workforce
On June 2nd, the Women’s Bureau Region 9 office
moderated a workshop entitled, “Improving Worksite Culture for a Diverse
Workforce,” at the Women in Apprenticeship Training Institute in Oakland. The program was sponsored by WANTO grantee
Tradeswomen, Inc., and featured a day-long session to share strategies for
recruiting and retaining women in apprenticeship. The following week, Regional Administrator
Kelly Jenkins-Pultz led a Women’s Leadership roundtable discussion in Phoenix,
Arizona, that identified a number of ways women are leading change.
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Greensboro, North
Carolina, Fair Employment Conference
The Greensboro
Commission on the Status of Women hosted a Fair Employment conference on May 20,
to educate attendees on what local, state and federal rights and protections
they have in the workplace. The Women’s Bureau provided attendees information
on the Equal Pay Act, FMLA, pregnancy and gender discrimination, sexual
harassment and protections provided to workers under Title 7 of the Civil Rights
Act. The also shared other polices, practices, and legislation that have
been passed in other states in their region that improve the working conditions
and promote the welfare of wage earning women.
States Leading on Leave
The San Francisco
Paid Leave Ordinance was the topic for discussion on June 9 at the Bureau’s
“The Paid Leave Playbook: Strategies for
Success” program. The Center for
Work-Life Law, an invited guest, spoke about the value of lactation support for
new moms while New America shared insights about the first six months of a
baby’s life and the value of paid leave and flexibility to support family
bonding during that time. The event concluded
with a panel of employers from Microsoft, Particle, Zazie Restaurant and LUCY
illustrating tips for training managers and shaping workplace culture to drive
utilization of leave, and leverage greater retention and productivity of the
workforce through leave policy. A
recording of the event is available here.
Mothers & Daughters: Sharing Work Success Stories and
Future Hopes
The Women’s Bureau Region
I office organized and hosted “Mothers & Daughters: Sharing Work Success
Stories and Future Hopes” at the Manchester, New Hampshire, city library on
Saturday, May 13. The program featured two panel presentations by working
mothers, adult working daughters, and a Manchester West High School
student and the Boys & Girls Club’s Youth of the Year 2016 for the state of
New Hampshire, all of whom spoke about their commitment to education, socially
responsible businesses, family, and community service. Women’s Bureau
Regional Administrator Jacqueline Cooke spoke on one of the panels about the
state’s occupational forecast of jobs in New Hampshire.
New from Our Federal Partners
The Small Business
Administration Explores the Impact of Women Owned Businesses
A new issue brief from the Small Business Administration’s
Office of Advocacy shows the major economic contribution of women-owned
businesses. The report, "Women’s Business Ownership: Data from the 2012
Survey of Business Owners," uses the most recent Census Bureau data to
create a highly detailed portrait of this group, including their role in
minority business communities. Click here to read more.
New Federal Advisory Committee on Diversity and
Digital Empowerment
The
Federal Communications Commission recently announced its intent to establish a
Federal Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment. The Committee would make recommendations to
the Commission on how to empower disadvantaged communities and accelerate the
entry of small businesses, including those owned by women and minorities, into
the media, digital news and information, and audio and video programming
industries, including as owners, suppliers, and employees. Click here
for the full Federal Register notice.
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