Brush Stroke
March 6, 2014
   
Greetings! 

 

I think we can all agree that we need more women in office but we also need the people that are already in office to recognize why we need a seat at the table. So let's see who is not just talking about our issues but who is actually including us in the conversation. Let the midterm election campaigning begin!

Check Out What's In This Issue
DC Dispatch: Standing Up for Women & Families
Why Aren't There More Women in Congress
The Life of the Stay at Home Mom
Another Famous First
The Plight of the Pregnant Worker
Your Gift Makes a Difference for Families
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Best wishes,
 

The National Association of Mothers' Centers 
 (NAMC) 
provides programs that empower mothers, fathers and caregivers to find solutions that work for their families, their work lives and their personal lives.

DC Dispatch: Standing Up for Women & Families

 

 

Last week under the dome of the US Capitol there was a standing room only briefing that rocked the house.  Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Rosa DeLauro delighted the crowd that gathered to talk about moving women to the center of the policy debate and the coming mid-term elections.  Their common theme involved many so-called "women's issues" and how, when you scratch the surface, their true characterization as economic issues is plain to see.  Child-care grows more expensive every year.  Representative Donna Edwards of Maryland quoted a figure of nearly $13,000 a year for infant care.  (I've heard of a family who paid $32,000 last year to the center for their 1 year old.) 
 
Senator Warren praised the Affordable Care Act, noting that for millions of low income families, health insurance is accessible for the first time.  Furthermore, women can no longer be charged higher premiums just because they are women.  Minimum wage legislation is certainly relevant to women, who make up 2/3 of minimum wage workers.  But when 40% of working women are primary breadwinners, and 66% are either primary or co-breadwinners in their households, minimum wage becomes an issue for the entire nation.  And so it went, to the need for flexible workplaces, men's engagement in caring for children, paid sick days, access to contraception, and the fact that only 12% of all US workers have any kind of paid family leave available to them.  You can see the full agenda of legislative proposals here.  If we want these changes made, the women in Congress who are pushing for us deserve our support.

 

Why Aren't There More Women in Congress:
       
congress One answer to this question is that women don't run for election as often as men do.  According to an article in a Lancaster, PA publication, women are less likely to be asked to run, less likely to envision themselves in that position for lack of role models, and, at least initially, less willing to engage in partisan behavior and ask for money to fund their campaigns.  But once women are elected, their presence changes the dynamic, according to some.  "There wouldn't be all these problems because women listen to each other and are willing to admit that they don't have all the answers...Women are usually the managers of the family. They often control the purchasing decisions, education choices and other things that give them a different perspective when it comes to public service."  So maybe that time spent performing unpaid domestic labor actually did qualify you for employment after all!  

The Life of the Stay at Home Mom 

 

I don't think there is any other experience quite like it.  There are moments of crushing fatigue, piercing sweetness, and pure magic when you share the company of your children for hours on end.  It's combination of extremes, and the truth of it is not something we can easily get our arms all the way around.  But we never stop trying - here is 25 Ways You Know You're a Stay At Home Mom.  The ones I can relate to are:
  • 7. Showering is a major accomplishment.
  • 8. Your kids see you naked more often than your husband.
  • 9. You actually know what the fox says, or what it could say at least, because 50% of your time is spent making animal sounds. 

Check it out and see which ones speak to you. 

Another Famous First

 

What do you suppose these 5 women have in common?  You may as well give up,  you'll never guess, so I will tell you.  They are each the Defense Minister of their country, all members of NATO.  In the organization's 65 year history, this is the highest number of female defense chiefs to serve at one time.  The woman in the middle, Germany's defense minister, is the mother of 7.  

The Plight of the Pregnant Worker

 

Quite the flurry of activity surrounding pregnant workers - first, the good news came that New York City had passed its own version of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, while the federal version clings to life in the US Congress.  Then, a thrift store worker in the Bronx lost her $8 an hour job after she presented a note from her obstetrician stating that she should not lift heavy loads.  She had recently suffered a miscarriage.  Other workers had requested and received temporary re-assignments to lighter duty, but she was placed on unpaid leave for failure to perform her job.  Last week, thanks to the city law, she was reinstated and given her back pay, assigned to tagging and hanging clothing rather than hauling heavy cartons throughout the store.  A happier ending, but if the law had been followed in the first place, she could have avoided the unnecessary and very unwelcome stress. 

Mothers with baby

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Your Gift Makes a Difference for Families

 

Mothers' Centers have helped thousands of families:

  • Make friends
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  • Discover valuable resources
  • Find creative ways to manage work and family responsibilities
  • And so much more!

Please consider making a tax-deductable donation  to the National Association of Mothers' Centers today.

 

Thank you for making a difference!

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