Debra Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families

Debra Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families

Blog Archive

Blog Type Author Issues Date between

Portia Wu, Vice President

From the desk of ... Portia Wu

Time to Support Older Americans and their Caregivers, Not Undermine Them

May 31, 2011 | Work and Family

Respect your elders. Many of us have been given that advice by our parents, grandparents, teachers and mentors for as long as we can remember. So why don't our public policies better address the needs of our country's seniors and their families, and why do some lawmakers seem poised to dismantle the policies that older Americans rely on?

From the desk of ... Debra L. Ness

Seniors in America Today: "Not a Pretty Picture"

May 12, 2011 | Health Care | Health Care > Campaign for Better Care

Earlier this week, I was privileged to be a part of Volunteers of America's third annual discussion on aging issues. I was on a panel with Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post co-founder and editor-in-chief; Mike King, National President and CEO of Volunteers of America, Inc.; and Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, AARP Executive Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement. Our topic: How our nation's public policies affect older Americans, especially women.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

From the desk of ... Vicki Shabo

It's Time for a Family Friendly America

May 6, 2011 | Work and Family

Mother's Day. It's a day when we shower the mothers in our lives with well-deserved compliments and gifts that show our appreciation. The heartfelt thanks, expressed in cards, flowers and chocolates, certainly have their place, but mothers today also need something much more lasting - policies that let them meet their own needs and those of their families.

From the desk of ... Debra L. Ness, Repro Health Watch

Relentless. Deceptive. Dangerous.

May 5, 2011 | Health Care | Reproductive Health

The ""war on women"" in the House of Representatives rages on.

From the desk of ... Debra L. Ness

When Women Do Better, Families Do Better and the Nation Can Thrive

April 12, 2011 | Workplace Fairness

President Obama hit the mark during his recent Women's History Month address on fair pay when he said that "achieving equal pay for equal work isn't just a women's issue. It's a family issue." At the National Partnership, we've been saying the same thing for decades: when women do better, families do better. It couldn't be more true.

Portia Wu, Vice President

From the desk of ... Portia Wu

Women and Families of Color Cannot Wait for Equal Pay

April 12, 2011 | Workplace Fairness

It's Equal Pay Day. Today, we recognize that women have had to work nearly a quarter of the year to make the same amount as their male counterparts did last year. On average, women who work full time in the United States are still paid $10,622 less per year than full-time working men.

Sarah Crawford, Director of Workplace Fairness

From the desk of ... Sarah Crawford

Wage Discrimination and the Fight for Fair Pay

April 12, 2011 | Workplace Fairness

In a few months, the Supreme Court will decide if the women in the landmark Dukes v. Wal-Mart wage discrimination case will get their day in court to challenge unfair pay and promotions. Today, on Equal Pay Day, Senator Barbara Mikulski and Representative Rosa DeLauro will re-introduce the Paycheck Fairness Act - legislation that would establish workplace supports to help advance fair, discrimination-free workplaces. Both are big news in the fight for fair pay this year, and both represent critical ways to combat the wage discrimination that continues to hurt America's women and their families.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

From the desk of ... Vicki Shabo, Paid Sick Days

Paid Sick Days Standards Promote LGBT Health

March 31, 2011 | Work and Family

As we near the end of LGBT Health Awareness Week - a time to focus on eliminating the health disparities and health care discrimination faced by the LGBT community - we cannot forget the role that access to health care plays in promoting the health and well-being of LGBT workers and their families. Access to health care goes beyond health insurance and health care services. It also includes workers' ability to take paid sick time to recover from a common illness, care for a sick loved one or seek preventive care.

Portia Wu, Vice President

From the desk of ... Portia Wu

A Historic Tuesday in the Fight for Fair Pay

March 29, 2011 | Workplace Fairness

It's fitting that the landmark pay discrimination case, Wal-Mart v. Dukes, is being argued before the Supreme Court today, Tuesday, March 29th. Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into the year women must work to match the amount paid to men in the previous year, falls on a Tuesday.

Sarah Crawford, Director of Workplace Fairness

From the desk of ... Sarah Crawford

Right Over Might: The Women of Wal-Mart Fight for Fair Pay

March 28, 2011 | Workplace Fairness

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Wal-Mart v. Dukes - the high profile class action case involving 1.6 million women who have worked at Wal-Mart.

Judith L. Lichtman, Senior Advisor

From the desk of ... Judith L. Lichtman

The Affordable Care Act at One

March 25, 2011 | Health Care | Health Care > Campaign for Better Care

This week is the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act - the greatest advance for women's health in a generation.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

From the desk of ... Vicki Shabo

Anniversary a Time to Commit to a New Wave of Workplace Reforms

March 24, 2011 | Work and Family

Locked doors. It's one of the many reasons that 146 workers - mainly young immigrant women - died in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City 100 years ago today. Even though great progress has been made since then, workers today are trapped by a different kind of locked door: public and workplace policies that too often are unfair and force workers to make impossible choices between their caregiving responsibilities and their economic security.

Laura Hessburg, Senior Health Policy Advisor

From the desk of ... Laura Hessburg, Repro Health Watch

Let's Not Reverse Our Progress on Stopping HIV/AIDS

March 10, 2011 | Health Care | Reproductive Health

Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, when we should all pause to remember that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still shaping and taking too many lives, in the United States and around the globe.

Sarah Crawford, Director of Workplace Fairness

From the desk of ... Sarah Crawford

Too Big to Be Held Accountable?

March 1, 2011 | Workplace Fairness

The Women of Wal-Mart Deserve Their Day in Court to Challenge Unfair Pay

From the desk of ... Debra L. Ness, Repro Health Watch

Just When You Think You've Seen It All

February 28, 2011 | Reproductive Health | Health Care

Sometimes I think there's not much that can surprise me. But last week proved that theory wrong: the U.S. House of Representatives voted to prohibit federal funds for health care services provided by Planned Parenthood, and eliminate funding for all Title X family planning services, which are the sole source of health care for millions of low-income and uninsured women in this nation.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

From the desk of ... Vicki Shabo, Paid Sick Days

San Francisco Paid Sick Days Law Is A Proven Success

February 16, 2011 | Work and Family

A new study released today shows that San Francisco's Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (PSLO)—the first citywide paid sick days standard in the country—has been proven a success.

Christine Bechtel, Vice President

From the desk of ... Christine Bechtel, Health IT

What, No Tiara?

February 8, 2011 | Health Care > Health Information Technology (IT)

Recently, a reporter conducted an analysis of the people considered to be "the most powerful" in the field of health information technology (IT).

Portia Wu, Vice President

From the desk of ... Portia Wu

On the FMLA Anniversary, Let's Focus on the Unmet Needs of Working Families

February 5, 2011 | Work and Family

18 years. That's how long the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been in place. It was the first bill President Clinton signed into law and it remains one of the proudest accomplishments of his presidency.

Vicki Shabo, Director of Work and Family Programs

From the desk of ... Vicki Shabo

California Passes the Nation's Paid Family Leave Test

February 3, 2011 | Work and Family

More than eight years ago, California lawmakers showed a historic commitment to working families in their state by establishing the nation's first paid family leave program. Earlier this month, six-and-a-half years after the program was implemented, the results of its test are in—and they send a compelling message to employers, workers and lawmakers throughout the country.

From the desk of ... Megan Renner

Real Family Values

January 25, 2011 | Work and Family

Every year roughly four million women give birth in the United States, and most of them (more than three-quarters) start out breastfeeding. Study after study has affirmed the value of breastfeeding in protecting both mothers and children from a host of acute and chronic diseases and conditions, saving billions in health care costs. Breastfeeding mothers also report feeling more closely bonded with their babies—a factor which may lower the risk of postpartum depression.

Items 181 - 200 of 277

10