Money & Jobs

Biden Administration Releases First-Ever Report on Diversity in Federal Government

The human resources arm of the federal government has released its first-ever report on diversity across the federal workforce. The 31-page document breaks down hiring and retention across agencies and gives a snapshot of the administration’s efforts to remove barriers for applicants from underrepresented communities. It’s an area where the federal government has historically struggled.

The government can’t change what it doesn’t measure, said Dr. Janice Underwood, director of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) at the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

The Childcare Crisis Is Costing You Money

and

We must do more to increase our nation’s stagnant labor force participation rate. Childcare providers and the families who depend on them cannot continue to bear the burden of supporting our current system without additional support.

The U.S. childcare system needs to be radically transformed. Our nation must focus on creating a childcare system that is affordable, accessible and equitable in the long term.

Front and Center: Guaranteed Income Helped This Mom and Her Kids ‘Actually Enjoy Life a Little’

Front and Center highlights the success of Springboard to Opportunities’ Magnolia Mother’s Trust, which this year will give $1,000 per month for 12 months to 100 families headed by Black women living in federally subsidized housing.

“I made it work because, as a mother, I can’t give excuses. I gotta get it done—because if I don’t, who will? …. The Magnolia Mother’s Trust has really helped me and my little family. We’re able to actually enjoy life a little bit more now.”

FMLA at 30: Persisting Toward Paid Leave

This past weekend marked a milestone anniversary for a historic piece of legislation: the Family and Medical Leave Act, or the FMLA. As the FMLA turns 30, we should use this opportunity to celebrate its legacy—and reflect upon how much further our country still has to go when it comes to supporting workers in balancing their personal and professional lives.

Roughly 44 percent of workers are not covered by the FMLA, and even for those who are covered, taking unpaid leave is often unfeasible. I urge you to raise your voice and join the movement to make a comprehensive, paid family and medical leave a reality for every worker in America.

Why Marie Kondo Failed to Spark Permanent Joy

Domestic work in America has been a long-time battleground between the sexes. Further complicating the issue is that women and women of color make up a majority of domestic workers: 90.2 percent are women and 51.3 percent are Black, Hispanic, or Asian American and Pacific Islander. There is no honest and accurate way to talk about housework and childcare without also discussing the negative effects on women.

One day, perhaps the world will act as though domestic work is a collective responsibility and effort that requires no self-help books, a product line or a Netflix series.

Thirty Years After the FMLA, Lawmakers Must Guarantee Paid Leave for People Facing Violence

and

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) signed into law 30 years ago this week was the first time our country’s laws recognized that working people are also family caregivers and human beings who face illness themselves. But the FMLA was not enough, then or now.

Currently, leave is not available to people facing domestic and sexual violence if they need time off to go to court or seek other protections or support, which can cost them their jobs. Every state must consider adopting what is known as safe leave — leave for a worker subjected to sexual or domestic violence to seek a restraining order, relocate to safety, or take other protective measures — or help a close family member do so. This leave must also be paid.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women in Congress Lead Committees That Control U.S. Spending; Celebrating Suffragists of Color

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: The leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees are all women, as is the top White House budget official—the first-ever all-women team to lead the congressional committees that control government spending; new research about women of color involved in the suffrage movement; the power of knitting; and more.

America’s Lack of Paid Leave Is Devastating Women and Families

Thirty years ago, a group of determined women ushered the groundbreaking Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into law after a long fight. While passage of the FMLA was a monumental achievement for its time, coverage and eligibility restrictions mean that over 40 percent of the workforce are excluded from its protections. Advocates hoped the FMLA would lay the foundation for a universal paid family and medical leave program.

Women can’t wait another 30 years. The time for paid leave is now.

Corporate Profiteering Is Driving Inflation

The Federal Reserve has responded to inflation with rapid interest rate increases, meant to tamper down prices, at each of its past seven meetings. They are expected to do the same at their Jan. 31 Open Market Committee gathering. However, these hikes can also increase the risk of recession and unemployment.

Too many companies have opted to use inflation as an excuse to boost profit. Caregiving is a key area of potential government investment that could help women. Their needs are often put last, after childcare and elder care. The economy is already fragile after a global pandemic; now is the time to prioritize people.

Employers, Take Note—Young Women Are Planning Their Lives Around State Abortion Laws

Among employees ages 18 to 34, 47 percent of women and 44 percent of men believe they won’t have the career they’d planned, hoped for and dreamed of because politicians are now in control of their personal reproductive decisions.

“We’re looking to future generations of business leaders and managers and employees and we have nearly half of them saying, ‘I don’t think I will have the career I planned because of the decision by the Supreme Court,’” said Heather Foust-Cummings, Catalyst’s senior vice president for research