Over the past two years, we have seen firsthand that the contributions of caregivers are vital for a flourishing society. When the pandemic brought on school closures and constantly-changing health protocols, women held up our communities. They supported children navigating remote learning and looked after loved ones who were unwell. In many cases, they took on these all-encompassing roles while maintaining full time jobs.
Despite their incredible impact, women’s needs still go unheard and their critical efforts remain undervalued. They continue to face a lack of access to common sense support systems like affordable child care and paid family leave, and have drastically lower salaries than their male counterparts.
Here at the Mission Society, one of our solutions is providing afterschool and summer programs at no cost. We know more women will have the opportunity to pursue successful careers when they can afford a safe place for their children to engage in quality educational and recreational programs during work hours.
It is crucial for all of us to continue to prioritize women and caregivers throughout the country. Take a look below at a few of the ways that you can be a part of creating a future free of the gender equality gap.
Advocate for equitable policy change:
Support policies for national paid family and medical leave programs across all professions. Within your workplace, push for flexible and predictable work schedules and company-wide salary transparency, and support the hiring and promoting of women.
Break the mold:
Devote time to breaking gender stereotypes, especially within your household. Share caretaking responsibilities and encourage young people of all genders to be involved in household and domestic labor. Enable young women and girls to be bold and to speak out, and urge young men and boys to support expressions of masculinity that include vulnerability and sensitivity. Let kids know that there is no wrong or right way to be their gender!
Commit to political engagement:
Stay informed on upcoming elections and invest energy in strong women candidates. Register to vote if you haven’t yet, and encourage friends and family to register as well.