Women's Rights

Equal rights are a constitutional right that we all have as a citizen of the United States of America. These are the rights that make us different from the rest of the world and ensure the freedom that people in several other countries do not enjoy. Women's rights are not a privilege, but basic human rights that are essential for women to live with dignity and equality. They include the right to life, liberty, and security of a person; the right to be free from violence and discrimination; the right to education, employment, and healthcare; the right to participate in political and public life and above all right to make decisions.  

 

However, our democracy is currently being imparted as Senate failed to advance a resolution to remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a proposed amendment putting protection for women and other marginalized genders directly into the United States Constitution. The resolution failed 51-47 with most GOP senators opposing it. Republicans have argued they don’t think the amendment is needed because of the equal protections is provided to women in the 14th Amendment. The ERA would have banned any discrimination on the basis of sex and guaranteed equality for all under the Constitution.

 

This resolution is necessary following the Supreme Court‘s ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. If we look at the terrible things happening to women’s rights in our country, it’s clear we have moved back and must act to ensure and protect women. Gender equality is not only a moral issue but rather is necessity as the participation of women and girls across all aspects of our society is essential to our economic prosperity, our security, and the health of our democracy.

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We need to ensure California remains a land that confirms women’s rights and leads by example for the implementation of these rights across the nation:

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• Equal pay for women in sports and other areas of work. Pay should be based on skills and work and not gender biased. Equal Work Equal Pay should be the motto irrespective of gender.  Transparency should be brought into the pay structure that ensures equality in salaries.

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• Women should have access to reproductive health and full rights to make decisions impacting them. Whether is reproductive health, abortion, or birth control, a woman should have the right to make these decisions and should be safeguarded. While California has been a leader in protecting this right, we have to do more nationally to ensure adequate protection and safeguards for women.

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• Increase parental leave for women with full pay and job security during the leave. While laws currently exist that provide family medical leave and reimbursement of partial salary, there is an opportunity to enhance the requirements nationally to ensure women receive full pay and additional parental leave for newborn emotional growth.

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• Corporations with a certain minimum number of employees and revenues should be required to provide childcare which can also be supplemented by tax incentives from the government.

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While California has been doing its part by passing bills that support women’s rights within the state more is required nationally to protect these rights. Some of the bills passed by California should be introduced at the Federal level and enacted nationally. Some of the bills enacted by California that support women’s rights are:

• AB 1287– Price discrimination: gender - eliminates the discriminatory “pink tax” by prohibiting different prices for goods based purely on what gender they are marketed to. 

• AB 1467– Student safety: sexual assault and domestic violence procedures and protocols: sexual assault and domestic violence counselors. - supports survivors by requiring sexual assault and domestic violence counselors at public colleges to be independent of the Title IX office and prohibits these counselors from releasing the identity of a victim without permission.

• AB 2185 Forensic examinations: domestic violence- provides domestic violence victims access to free medical evidentiary exams by Local Sexual Assault Response Teams or other qualified medical evidentiary examiners.

• SB 1017 – Leases: termination of the tenancy: abuse or violence - increases eviction protections for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other serious crimes

• SB 1162) – Employment: Salaries and Wages.- requires employers to make pay scale information available to employees and included in job postings

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The problems facing women today are everyone’s issues. Women are our mothers, sisters, wives, partners, and above all are blessed to bring new life to this world. Our existence is dependent upon them and its high time we recognize their importance in our world and ensure they are protected and given their rights.

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This is a global issue that America needs to lead by example and make the path for it to be introduced at the United Nations (UN). International laws are required to be developed and implemented to ensure they strengthen the existing women’s protection requirements in the countries where they exist and implement new laws in the countries where they do not protect women globally.

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We must work to ensure that all women and girls can enjoy their full human rights. We must challenge the stereotypes and prejudices that hold women back. We must support policies and programs that promote women's empowerment. And we must speak out against violence and discrimination against women.