Womenstake

White House Holds Forum on Workplace Flexibility

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate
National Women’s Law Center

This afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, the White House Council on Women and Girls will be hosting a Forum on Workplace Flexibility to discuss strategies for achieving a healthy work/life balance. In an announcement for the forum, President Obama stated:

“Millions of women and men across the country struggle to balance the demands of their jobs and the needs of their families...As the parents of two young girls, Michelle and I understand the challenges America’s working families face and we are looking forward to hearing from moms, dads, business leaders, advocates and experts about their ideas for creating and encouraging flexible workplaces, so that working Americans do not have to choose between their careers and meeting the needs of their families.”

The President and the First Lady will both speak at the forum which will be broadcast live at www.whitehouse.gov/live. For more information on workplace fairness and flexibility, click here.

Tomorrow Marks One-Year Anniversary of Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate,
National Women’s Law Center

It’s time to celebrate!

Last night in his State of the Union Address, President Obama promised increased enforcement of equal pay laws so women may one day receive equal pay for equal work.

This announcement comes at a perfect time, because one year ago tomorrow, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, taking a stand against pay discrimination.

To commemorate the anniversary, Lilly Ledbetter will visit with Members of Congress to remind them that the fight for fair pay is not over and to encourage them to swiftly pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.

Our coalition partners the American Association of University Women and the National Partnership for Women & Families have been speaking up on the anniversary, too.

We hope you’ll help us celebrate by urging the Senate to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!

White House Honors Leaders in STEM Education

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center

Yesterday President Obama honored teachers and mentors from around the United States who had demonstrated excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. This event was part of the new “Educate to Innovate” Campaign, which aims to encourage young people’s interest in science and math. The President also discussed new partnerships with foundations, companies, teachers, and scientists who are dedicated to the goals of the new campaign. The ceremony was webcast here and was followed by a Facebook chat with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who discussed the new initiative.

For more information about NWLC’s work to increase female representation in STEM fields, click here.

Rosie the Riveter High School Breaks Down Barriers for Women in Non-Traditional Careers

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center

Rosie the Riveter took the country by storm as the symbol for women in non-traditional careers during World War II. Over 60 years later, her legacy is influencing an entirely new generation of men and women.

Enter Rosie the Riveter High School.

Founded in 2007 in Long Beach, CA, Rosie the Riveter High is the first charter school of its kind, designed to breakdown the barriers for women in nontraditional fields.  Today the school enrolls 50 girls and boys in training programs focused on such trades as plumbing, carpentry, and welding.

The high school was founded by Lynn Shaw, a former miner, steelworker and longshoreman, who now serves as the head of the board of directors for Women in Non Traditional Employment Roles.  Shaw recently told the LA Times that Rosie the Riveter High was designed to “change the way society looks at women.”  She noted, “women in nontraditional jobs earn 20% to 40% more than women in what are considered 'traditional' women's jobs. That's $1 million over a lifetime." 

Not only are these types of career and technical education programs an important way for women and girls to gain the skills they need to get good jobs with good pay, they also help prevent students from dropping out of school.  Click here for more information on NWLC’s work on breaking down barriers for women in non-traditional careers.

NWLC Files Comments with Georgia Department of Education

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center

On September 30, the Center filed comments with the Georgia Department of Education regarding the state’s proposed new rule on homebound instruction services. Specifically, the Center recommended a number of changes that Georgia can make to ensure that its rule does not adversely affect pregnant and parenting students so they can benefit from homebound instruction services when they need them. These services play a significant role in keeping students on track to graduate and Title IX requires that schools give pregnant and parenting students equal access to these important services.

New Fact Sheet Addresses Schools' Gender Equity Obligations During the Economic Downturn

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center

NWLC has a new fact sheet, Title IX Still Applies: Gender Equity in Athletics during Difficult Economic Times, which reminds schools that despite the economic crisis, they must not forget their obligations under Title IX to ensure equal opportunity when making decisions difficult decisons about their athletic programs. With many school districts facing tightening budgets, some are making cuts to their athletic programs in ways that impose a greater burden on women and girls. Citing the need to comply with Title IX, this fact sheet provides guidance and examples for institutions on what the law requires if they choose to reduce athletic opportunities or benefits.

NWLC Weighs in on Department of Education Distribution of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Funding

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate,
National Women’s Law Center

The U.S. Department of Education has recently issued a series of proposed application guidelines for distribution to states of its ARRA funding, including the State Fiscal Stabilization funds, the Race to the Top funds, and the Investing in Innovation (also known as i3) funds. The Center is commenting on these proposed guidelines, encouraging the Department to make clear that programs addressing the needs of girls particularly at risk of dropping out are eligible for such funds, and that state data collection and reporting requirements should include data on students’ gender (in addition to race/ethnicity and other categories), and pregnant or parenting status.

NWLC Releases Report on Programs and Practices that Work Recognition Project

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center

In partnership with the Association for Career and Technical Education, the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity, and the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education, NWLC recently released its Programs and Practices that Work (PPTW) recognition project report, Building New Possiblities: Promising Practices for Recruiting and Retaining Students in Career and Technical Education Programs That Are Nontraditional for Their Gender.

PPTW aims to recognize local and state educational agencies or schools across the country that have implemented effective programs and practices for improving student access to and success in pursuing careers that are non-traditional for their gender. This year’s report highlights GirlTech Program at Francis Tuttle Technology Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, which has successfully raised the enrollment and retention of under-represented students in nontraditional CTE courses.

Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Settles Title IX Case

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center 

A group of parents recently entered into a settlement agreement with the Florida High School Athletic Association. The parents filed a lawsuit last spring after FHSAA approved a statewide plan to reduce the number of varsity-level games for all sports except football (and cheerleading, which is generally not counted as a sport). The parents claimed that the decision violated Title IX because it disadvantaged more girls than boys. After reversing its decision in July to carry out the approved cuts, the FHSAA entered a formal settlement in which it agrees to restore the number of varsity-level games to the 2008-2009 level, provide Title IX training to its members, and provide compensation for legal expenses.

New Study Claims Women Responsible for Glass Ceiling – What?

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Associate, 
National Women’s Law Center 

A headline yesterday morning caught my eye and made me pause – it read, “Study: Women create own glass ceiling.” Instantly wary, I clicked on the link hoping that the headline was possibly misleading. Or perhaps the author meant to write that a study revealed successful strategies for combating the glass ceiling?

Unfortunately, my initial instincts were correct.

Apparently a survey of 251 female and male managers revealed that female managers are three times more likely to underestimate their bosses’ evaluation of their job performance than male managers. And men were more likely to overestimate their bosses’ opinions of their work. Based on these points the study claims that women are responsible for their own glass ceiling. Seriously.

This analysis misses the point entirely. At no point does the article report that the study questions precisely why women seem to underestimate their performance ratings, or if the poor self-evaluations could actually be a result of the glass ceiling, rather than the cause.

Instead of blaming women for their apparent lack of workplace confidence, the better approach would be to investigate why women lack self-confidence in the workplace in the first place. Perhaps it could be the absence of role models at the highest executive levels, considering only 2.6 percent of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are female. Another recent study could shed light on the reasons women underestimate their workplace performance – that study showed that employers consider fathers to be “more competent and committed” than their childless counterparts but mothers are 100 percent less likely to be hired, offered $11,000 less in pay, and ranked as “less competent and less committed” than non-mothers. Not to mention that other workplace barriers such as pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, and pay discrimination could lead to decreased self confidence.

To be sure, the results from this study – that women under-estimate their performance – should raise some red flags for employers, but it makes no sense to blame women for the glass ceiling.