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Public policy has the power to set women and families up for success, and new data released by the Census Bureau yesterday provide a critical look at where our country stands on the issues that matter most in determining just how successful they are. The data, which look at poverty, health insurance, and income in the United States, make clear that policy makers have unfinished business to take care of to make sure women and families have all the supports they need to live healthy and secure lives.

Well, it's Moms' Equal Pay Day again. All the way in September. That's right – a typical mother would have to work nine additional months into 2022 just to be paid what fathers made in 2021. And wow, has it been a tough nine months for moms in the United States.

Two years ago today, the Supreme Court issued a decision in the landmark case, Bostock v. Clayton County, which ruled that that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. While many LGBTQ+ advocates celebrated this decision as a monumental step forward, the question remains whether the lived experiences of real people have truly changed for the better since the ruling.

Acknowledging the unique wage gap between white men and AANHPI women is more important than ever, and forces us to take a closer look at the many myths and barriers in the way of achieving pay equity for AANHPI women in particular.

Why observe Equal Pay Day, year after year, if it's such a bummer? Because the wage gap is a way of talking about the tangible consequences that sexism and racism in our economy have on women. And it touches so many women year after year, no matter their occupation, education level or age.

The wage gap is just one of many examples of the burden women of color bear by living in a white supremacist and patriarchal society.

Domestic workers are undervalued, underpaid and, largely because of institutional racism and sexism, are unprotected by our nation's most basic federal employment laws. Members of Congress now have an opportunity to begin to correct past injustices by supporting and passing the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

Eighty years ago today, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – the cornerstone of labor protections for working people in the United States – was enacted. While its protections for working people remain in place today, so, unfortunately, do its exclusions, which disproportionately harm women and people of color.

Unless Congress enacts legislation that will help all women receive higher wages and remain and succeed in the workforce, women and families, and especially women of color, will continue to suffer – and our economy and nation will pay the price.

Equal Pay Day, April 4, is the day that marks how far into 2017 women have had to work to be paid the same amount men were paid in 2016. It’s a stunning indication that something is seriously wrong, and a time to ask what we’re doing as a nation to fix the problem

Last week, through a leaked internal poll, we gained even more evidence that business support for paid family and medical leave is strong.

The annual recognition of Equal Pay Day  —  the day that marks how far into the year women have had to work to catch up with what men were paid in the previous year — is always a stunning reminder of just how far we still have to go to reach true equality for women in this country.

This morning in Boston, President Obama will announce much-needed actions that will make our nation more family friendly.

The U.S. Department of Labor's proposal to update the country's overtime rules is about our future, and we all have a tremendous amount at stake.

At a time when women all across this country face discrimination in the workplace and need greater access to reproductive health care, it was encouraging to see what happened in Pennsylvania this week.

As the month draws to a close, there are clear signs of progress and frustrating reminders that vigilance remains essential.

It has been quite the week for fair pay for women. On Monday, we witnessed a shameful act when opponents blocked the Paycheck Fairness Act in the Senate.

The gender-based wage gap is a serious problem for women and families across the country, and it’s appreciably worse for African American women. Today, we’re reminded of just how much worse.

It’s no surprise these days that women’s wages are essential to their families and our economy. That’s why, as our #WhatMothersNeed week of action continues, we’re talking about the urgent need for fair pay.

There is a reason many of us bristle at the thought of what the nation's workplaces were like for women during the Mad Men era: the almost universal recognition that it was a time when sexism was rampant, when women were routinely devalued, disrespected and blatantly discriminated against.