'Social Issues are Economic Issues' for Women, Opinion Piece States

September 28, 2012 — "Women can't play along with the notion that there's a thick line dividing 'social' issues like reproductive rights or anti-discrimination legislation and 'economic' issues like jobs and the economy," Amanda Marcotte, a writer, states in a USA Today opinion piece. "For women, social issues are economic issues," she writes.

Marcotte highlights two recent news topics that show "it's more important than ever for women to have their rights protected, for economic reasons above all": legislation to protect pregnant workers from discrimination and a study examining the many economic reasons women use birth control.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, introduced in the Senate last week, would ensure that pregnant workers' requests for reasonable accommodations, such as allowing them to use a water bottle or stool, do not result in disciplinary actions or termination. "Few issues hit closer to home for those worried about jobs and raising a family than legislation aimed at making sure they can keep their jobs," Marcotte writes.

The study, released by the Guttmacher Institute this week, "found that women viewed contraception as a necessary part of their economic futures," she adds.

Marcotte argues that while conservatives "would like you to believe that reproductive rights and laws banning discrimination against women have nothing to do with jobs and the economy," the reality is that women "need their rights protected in order to hold down jobs and raise their families" (Marcotte, USA Today, 9/27).