Tag: AAPI Women

Vietnam Nurses: These Are the Women Who Went to War (June 1984)

From the June 1984 issue of Ms. magazine:

“So little is known about the nurses of Vietnam that there are not even accurate statistics on how many were there. Official guesstimates ranged anywhere from 7,500 to 55,000. So, it is not surprising that as vets, they often feel invisible. Countless nurses did not know that they had been entitled to GI education benefits. Unfortunately, for most, the 10-year time period for qualification after leaving the service had expired.

“There were more amputees from Vietnam than any other war. … Nurses often suffered a more severe emotional mauling than soldiers who had respites from combat.”

In India, Married Couples Teach the Next Generation About Contraception and Family Planning

Across India’s Bihar and Maharastra states, married couples are joining together to reach young couples with modern contraception.

“Initially, when we went to villages,” said Mithlesh, “we weren’t even allowed to enter. They thought we were here to sterilize people. So, we developed a strategy, to communicate with key leaders in the communities. We discussed what we were doing, that we were there to share information and provide family planning options. The leaders listened, and supported our efforts.”

Women Need Julie Su as Our Next Labor Secretary. The Labor Movement Is Ready to Fight for Her

Julie Su would make history as the second-ever Asian-American woman to hold the role of labor secretary and only the fourth-ever woman of color. But this is about more than representation.

Her knowledge of wage theft, immigrant worker abuse and labor law is personal and encyclopedic. But she also has a deep understanding of what’s happening on the ground.

“A win for Julie Su is a win for women and workers all over this country. Let’s get it done.”

Why the Wage Gap Differs Among Asian American Women

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Sparse economic data on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women has painted an inaccurate reality of economic well-being and hampered communities’ efforts to address disparities. It’s an issue that Wednesday’s AAPI Women’s Equal Pay Day—April 5, 2023—attempts to spotlight. 

On average, AAPI women earn 80 cents for every $1 earned by white men when looking at both full- and part-time workers, more than any other racial group of women. But that figure obscures the harsher realities faced by Southeast Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women, who see some of the largest wage gaps in the country. The 80 cent average captures an enormous range: Taiwanese women earn more than white men, about $1.08 for every white man’s $1, while Nepalese women earn 48 cents on the dollar.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Michelle Yeoh on the Need for Women Leaders; Minnesota’s Push for Ranked-Choice Voting; Remembering Pat Schroeder

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

This week: Women Talking wins best adapted screenplay at the Oscars, a film about ““a radical act of democracy in which people who don’t agree on every single issue manage to sit together in a room and carve out a way forward together”; actor Michelle Yeoh on her experiences with crises and how they illuminate the need for women in leadership; allies in Minnesota are working toward ranked-choice voting; remembering Pat Schroeder, a women’s rights pioneer; and more.

America Needs Julie Su as the Next Secretary of Labor

President Biden recently announced his nomination of Julie Su to be the next secretary of the Department of Labor. She has spent her career fighting for equity and inclusion in the workforce.

Women across the country are thrilled that President Biden has taken the critical first step in nominating Julie Su — now we need to keep the pressure on the Senate to confirm her.