As National Women’s History Month draws to a close, I think about how grateful I am for the women in my life and how proud I am of their accomplishments. But as a husband, father, and grandfather, I understand there is still much to do to achieve full equality for women in this country.
Many of the inequities women face today are not new, but the pandemic once again highlighted them. I am inspired by the women in my life and the women I meet and speak with from New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District to continue the fight for women’s equality in Congress. Unfortunately, women’s rights are under attack.
Thanks to the work of activists from the suffragettes and beyond, there have been meaningful advances for women. Today, many opportunities – in society, in school, and the workplace – that were once closed to women are now open. Reports show that the gender wage gap has narrowed, and one recent study shows that some women in our region have made even greater gains. But we know there is still work to do.
Multiple states have made headlines recently undermining a woman’s right to reproductive freedom. Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for over 50 years, is now coming under threat as anti-choice lawsuits reach a conservative Supreme Court. My Democratic colleagues and I heard the concerns of women and passed legislation to protect their fundamental rights: the Women’s Health Protection Act. Senate Republicans stopped the bill in its tracks.
Multiple states have made headlines recently undermining a woman’s right to reproductive freedom. Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for over 50 years, is now coming under threat as anti-choice lawsuits reach a conservative Supreme Court. My Democratic colleagues and I heard the concerns of women and passed legislation to protect their fundamental rights: the Women’s Health Protection Act. Senate Republicans stopped the bill in its tracks.
One barrier is the outdated expectation that women should be the primary caregivers for their families. So when the pandemic shut almost half of all child care facilities, women were forced to make tough choices. When we returned to work during the pandemic, many women couldn’t.
The closure of child care centers and the high cost of child care even when centers reopened put parents in a tough spot. What are you supposed to do as a working mother when there’s no child care? You take care of your kids or have to piece together family and friends to help. What happens when you’re a mother whose job doesn’t pay enough to cover child care costs? You can’t afford to work.
I was once a single father who worked during the day and went to school at night. If affordable child care wasn’t accessible, I wouldn’t have been able to do either. I can’t imagine what these last two years have been like for working moms.
My Democratic colleagues in the House worked hard to negotiate and pass a package that included universal affordable child care to relieve this pressure on our economy and allow women to get back to their careers. It also fell victim to Senate opposition.
It’s difficult to wrap my mind around opposition to equal pay for women, denying women the right to make their own reproductive choices, and keeping child care out of reach for working parents. I try to keep focused on what I can do to help move the cause forward. We may not succeed every time, and history shows it will take more than one attempt to resolve these issues — but we should not let temporary setbacks weaken our resolve in securing equality for women. There is reason to hope.
Take, for example, the recent string of lawmaking to give women recourse under the law in instances of sexual assault and violence. Millions of Americans were forfeiting their right to full legal representation in cases of sexual assault and harassment when using certain mobile apps or signing employment contracts, due to the fine print. Last month, President Biden signed the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act. The Violence Against Women Act was also reauthorized last month, and this year’s National Defense Authorization Act includes historic reforms to improve the military’s investigation and prosecution of sexual assault. These are meaningful policies that will help protect women and save lives.
There is more work to do. We should take time to reflect, acknowledge, and celebrate the women of our nation during National Women’s History Month. But the best way to celebrate and support women is to champion equality every day of the year—by standing in solidarity with one another. National Women’s History Month may be over, but our fight for equality continues.
U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross
Original source can be found here.
