March 23, 2016
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (WOMENSENEWS)— The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women is wrapping up its 60th annual meeting in New York on March 24.It’s a huge event that attracts thousands of people from around the world, but it’s not alone in the universe of women’s commissions. In fact it’s part of a movement with a long history.Today the commission movement exists on two fronts: on an international stage, where the U.N. commission monitors the […]
December 9, 2015
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (WOMENSENEWS)–Does it make sense for women to vote for women? Usually, yes, if female voters are interested in such gains as legal support for equal pay and a better chance at work-life balance. The Center for American Women and Politics has documented the work of women in public office since 1971 and their research has shown female legislators carry bills that make a difference in the lives of women and families. Here […]
October 8, 2015
Calling it “a very important milestone,” Governor Brown this week signed SB 358, trekking to Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park in Richmond for an celebrating the tough new pay equity bill aimed at closing the historic wage gap between women and men. We asked Susan Rose, our Elizabeth Cady Stanton Women in Politics Correspondent, to interview the measure’s author, Democratic state Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, who represents the central coast, including Santa Barbara, the center […]
September 24, 2015
The jousting has only just begun among the 15 Republican presidential candidates about emails, Benghazi, abortion, immigration reform, and the Democrats’ leading candidate, Hillary Clinton. The former senator and First Lady declared her candidacy on April 12 and has since raised more than $60 million. Although she has Democrat opponents, Hillary leads the field in fundraising and organizing field operations. I have been a supporter of Hillary Clinton from the beginning of her first run for […]
June 1, 2015
On May 13, Attorney General Kamala Harris and U.C. President Janet Napolitano took aggressive action to improve response to rape on campuses. They issued a directive to all state colleges to “notify authorities when a sexual assault is reported” and a set of guidelines to encourage collaboration between campuses and law enforcement. California schools must adopt policies implementing the directive by July 1. This action followed the release last year of a White House Council on […]
March 12, 2015
LOS ANGELES (WOMENSENEWS)–In 2016, the United States deserves a presidential candidate who will make paid family leave a priority on the campaign platform.That candidate can take over from President Barack Obama who advocated for paid family leave in this year’s State of the Union speech. “Today, we’re the only advanced country on earth that doesn’t guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers,” Obama said. “Forty-three million workers have no paid sick […]
January 22, 2015
(WOMENSENEWS)– When I heard that U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer would not be seeking reelection in 2016 after 24 years in the Senate and 10 in the House of Representatives, it took me down memory lane to the early 1990s. That was a very different time in the world of women and politics and a simpler type of political campaigning. That was also the time of the 1992 Senate Judiciary hearings where Anita Hill held the […]
April 18, 2014
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (WOMENSENEWS)–On the sidelines of all the primary campaigns going on right now we also have a less-visible but important nationwide effort focused on gender equality in political office. It is aimed at women who have not considered running for political office as well as those who have been thinking about it and need encouragement to declare. Recruitment is the key to achieving this goal. “If women run, women win,” says Debbie Walsh, […]
March 17, 2014
(WOMENSENEWS)– California boasts two female senators. We are the only state to advance women’s reproductive rights in the last few years. The state is rapidly moving forward on the Affordable Health Care Act and there has been paid family leave in California since 2002, though it is underused. But don’t be misled. Even here we have a political gender gap that is actually widening, not closing. The California state legislature has 120 members with 32 […]
July 11, 2013
The number of unanalyzed rape kits nationally is projected to be as high as 400,000, according to a CNN news report on May 28, 2013. They have been sitting on shelves in some cases for more than 40 years, and the statue of limitations for prosecuting rapes has passed for many of them. The CNN reporter, Randi Kaye, interviewed Lavinia Masters, who was raped at the age of 13 in 1985 in Detroit. It was only recently, […]
April 11, 2013
The years 2012 and 2013 have been times of celebration and political victory for the feminist movement. Ms. magazine recently published its 40th anniversary edition. January 22, 2013 marked the 40th year since Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established the fundamental right to abortion. The 2012 election resulted in some formidable firsts for women. Although the percentage of women in the U.S. Congress still remains low, at 18%, women broke several glass ceilings in […]