Health

The Affordable Care Act and Women

By Desiree Hoffman YWCA USA Director of Advocacy and Policy March 23, 2011, marked the first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Yet polls show that less than 47% of Americans know how it affects them.1 Lack of understanding was highest among low-income households and the uninsured.  When asked, “Do you feel you have […]

Health

No Copay for Birth Control? A Great First Step Towards Truly Universal Access

by Kelly Blanchard, Ibis Reproductive Health Contraception is a critical preventive health care tool for women and families. Contraception allows women (and their partners) to plan their pregnancies and avoid pregnancy when they don’t want to have a baby, and planned pregnancies are healthier for women and children. Women with planned pregnancies are more likely […]

Health Uncategorized

Vaccinating the Public Against Health Care Misinformation

by Lisa Bennett, NOW Communications Director A factually-challenged email is making the rounds, scaring people into thinking that Medicare premiums are going to start rising next year due to provisions in the 2010 health care reform law. My well-meaning aunt forwarded this email to friends and family, not wanting them to get caught off guard […]

Health

It’s In The Law: Breaking Down What’s In It For You in the New Health Care Law

by Thao Nguyen, National Women’s Law Center Greater protections against insurance company abuses: NO MORE RESCISSIONS: Insurance companies are prohibited from dropping your coverage if you become sick. NO MORE LIFETIME LIMITS: Insurance companies are prohibited from limiting the amount of money they will pay for your benefits over your lifetime. NO MORE ANNUAL CAPS: […]

Uncategorized

#HERvotes Blog Carnival Takes on Health Care

Welcome to the third #HERVotes Blog Carnival! This time, the focus is on women and health care. The blog posts below share personal stories and details about the new benefits from the health care reform law, while also offering original insights on what’s at stake for women and health care. You’ll also find personal stories […]

Politics

HERvotes Takes On the Jobs Crisis

This post originally appeared on the Ms. Blog Our first #HERvotes blog carnival was so successful, we’re doing it again! On August 25-26, to mark the anniversaries of the passage of the 19th amendment and the March on Washington, Ms. joined with 21 women’s organizations to collectively publish 77 blog posts with a single harmonious […]

Politics

HERVOTES: “Mancession” Gives Way to “He-covery”

As the “Mancession” gives way to the “He-covery”, women are calling for their fair share.  President Obama’s jobs bill offers a plan to get Americans back to work, allocating funds ranging from payroll tax cuts to those for school revitalization. The White House estimates that 280,000 teacher layoffs will be avoided.  Women represent 78% of […]

Uncategorized

HERvotes: President’s Job Plan Benefits Women

By Ellie Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation The president’s job plan would have a positive impact on women’s jobs, woman-owned small businesses and small- to medium-sized non-profits. It also includes payroll tax savings for some 78 million employed women and an extension of unemployment insurance for those out of work, who include some 2.6 million unemployed […]

Uncategorized

HERvotes: Women Must Be a Part of Our Recovery

  By Linda Hallman, AAUW Getting America back to work is of paramount importance. As the president and Congress argue over the best way to jump start a slowing recovery and stagnant unemployment figures, they must hear this: Job creation and economic opportunity are critical issues for women. Many struggle with economic insecurity and wage […]

Uncategorized

HERvotes: More Women Face Unemployment as Public Sector Jobs Are Targeted

by Rachel Sandler, NOW/PAC Intern She sits staring at the wall in front of her, and all she feels is emptiness. Its white glow is ominous and blank, like her future. She has lost her job. She asks herself how she will pay the rent, how she’ll put dinner on the table, how she’ll pay […]

Health Reproductive Rights

Think You’re Covered? Think Again

By Alicia Gay, ACLU If you were faced with the decision of having an abortion, would your health insurance cover it? This is a question that many women have probably never considered. It’s a health care procedure that most people just don’t plan ahead for. Well, if you happen to be covered under your employer’s […]

Economy

Boost Social Security Benefits to Close Pay and Caregiving Gap

By Tatsuko Go Hollo It’s no secret that women are paid less than men across many industries. It’s also been well-documented that women are much more likely than men to work part-time. Unfortunately, employees who work part-time are often ineligible for essential benefits, such as health insurance, paid leave or a retirement plan. That’s where […]

Economy

Economic Policy: It’s Personal

By Nancy Wilberg The economic meltdown battered many Americans, but women and communities of color have long sustained the impact of an imbalanced financial market. Hard working women are deeply familiar with the enormous racial and gender wealth gap in America. Single Black and Hispanic women have one penny of wealth for every dollar of wealth […]

Health

Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Gets It Right: ‘The United States Is In The Dark Ages When It Comes To Maternity Leave’

By Pat Garofalo Fox News’ Megyn Kelly returned to work after three months of maternity leave, and during her first show, she pummeled shock radio host Mike Gallagher, who back in May called Kelly’s maternity leave “a racket” that was “unbelievable.” Kelly not only took Gallagher to task for poo-pooing the notion that women should […]

Campus

HERvotes: How the Youth, Women and Minority Vote are at Stake in 2012

By Francesca Witcher This post is part of the #Hervotes Blog Carnival and was originally posted on the Feminist Campus Blog. The Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. Magazine are partnering with other organizations that represent women and people of color in a Health and Economic Right or HERvotes initiative for the election in 2012. FMF’s […]

Politics

Vote Like Your Life Depends on It. Because It Does.

This Friday marks the 91st anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S. Yes, many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers lived in a time when they weren’t allowed to vote. And for African Americans, the right to vote didn’t truly come into full effect until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But now, armed with that […]

Politics

HERVotes: Why Women Must Vote in 2012

This blog is part of the #HERvotes blog carnival. The Feminist Majority Foundation is proud to join a major coalition of organizations, HERvotes, which is growing, representing millions of American women in an effort to mobilize women voters in 2012 around preserving women’s Health and Economic rights. Right now, a slew of historic gains for women […]

Uncategorized

Check out the HERvotes blog carnival!

The Feminist Majority Foundation is thrilled to be part of the HERvotes blog carnival. Check out what the feminist community is writing about! Here’s a list from this morning’s MomsRising Post: *Websites Where the HERvotes Blog Carnival is Cross-Posted National Women’s Law Center WIN Ms. Magazine Raising Women’s Voices ==== *Individual Posts for the HERvotes […]