ProgressWomen

National Partnership for Women & Families

Missourians need public policies that allow them to better manage the dual demands of work and family. Federal law, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act (as amended by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) have codified some family-friendly policies. However, Missouri workers lack access to workplace leave or breastfeeding protection beyond those provided by federal law. There is no pending legislation in Missouri that would expand on federal law in these areas.

Stats on Missouri Working Families:

• 1,484,689 Missouri women work, making up 48 percent of the state workforce.
• 977,701 Missouri children (72 percent) live in families where all parents work.
• 590,000 Missourians serve as family caregivers    GO TO STORY

New York Times – Erica Goode, Image: NYT, Craig Fischer/Police Executive Research Forum

WASHINGTON — Thousands of sexual assaults that occur in the United States every year are not reflected in the federal government’s yearly crime report because the report uses an archaic definition of rape that is far narrower than the definitions used by most police departments.

Many law enforcement officials and advocates for women say that this underreporting misleads the public about the prevalence of rape and results in fewer federal, state and local resources being devoted to catching rapists and helping rape victims. Rape crisis centers are among groups that cite the federal figures in applying for private and public financing.  GO TO STORY

Emergency contraception, commonly referred to as “EC” or the “morning-after pill” is not an abortifacient. It is contraception. This is a pretty straightforward concept, but Rep. Michele Bachmann either doesn’t understand this or deliberately confuses the two.

During last week’s GOP debate, Rep. Bachmann said the following:

“President Obama in a stunning, shocking level of power now just recently told all private insurance companies you must offer the morning-after abortion pill because I said so and it must be free of charge.”

This is false, “completely and one hundred percent false.” (Her understanding of how this regulation was made is incorrect, but let’s just focus on her “morning-after abortion pill” quote for now.) Once again, EC ≠ “the abortion pill.” If Bachmann and her fellow anti-choicers truly want to reduce the number of abortions, then they should stop spreading misinformation and work to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies - a goal that all of us share.

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New York Times – The Landscape

One clear lesson of this year’s skyrocketing number of new state laws is that those who care about keeping the procedure safe, legal and accessible need to raise their voices as loudly and effectively as those on the other side.

If they don’t do so, and quickly, the number of harmful restrictions will continue to balloon, at a rising cost to women’s lives, health and equality.

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Huffington Post – Joshua Herst

On the eve of high-level meetings for the United Nations’ general assembly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attended an event on Monday afternoon designed to highlight the importance of women’s participation in public life.

Together with a selection of major female world leaders, including Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s top diplomat, and Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile and the head of U.N. Women, Clinton put her name to a document calling for developing countries — especially in the changing Middle East — to clear the way for women to hold leadership roles.  GO TO STORY.

Image from 2012 World Development Report

SUDEEP REDDY – WALL STREET JOURNAL

The World Development Report, published annually by the World Bank, shows that the gender gap remains despite gains made by women and girls.

There have been dramatic gains in education: women now account for more than half of university students and the primary education gender gap has been closed in many nations. However, a stark wage gap persists across the globe.

One startling statistic: “Women represent 40% of the world’s labor force but hold just 1% of the world’s wealth.” GO TO STORY

WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT