GENDER EQUITY MOVES FORWARD IN 2016
FIRSTS
- 1st Female and African-American becomes the Chief Librarian of the Library of Congress
- 1st Native American woman, a Hopi Tribe member, is confirmed a US District Court Judge
- 1st Woman elected Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives
LEGISLATION
- Provision for paid sick days was passed in Vermont, the fifth state to do so.
- Sexual Assault Survivors Act became law of the land. Among other things it gives the, 25 million and growing, survivors the right to have a rape kit kept for the case’s statute of limitations.
- WW II Women’s Airforce Service Piolets right to inurnment in Arlington National Cemetery was restored by Act of Congress. An AAUW member was actively involved.
JUDICIAL
- The US Supreme Court upheld affirmative action.
TRAINING
- Department of Justice plans to train 28,000 of its employees on implicit bias.
SUFFRAGE
- The Sewell-Belmont House in Washington, DC, home of the Suffragist National Women’s Party, is now a National Monument called the Belmont-Paul House, giving it more protection and money
VOTING
- Automatic online voter registration in 4 states. States vary in how it is done. In CA it is done when registering for state college; In CT & OR when renewing or getting a license; a person can opt out in these three states; In CO they can register with a text message.
- US SENATE HAS 21 WOMEN. THE HIGHEST NUMBER IT HAS EVER BEEN.
It is great to see these strides taken toward gender equity in the United States. Let us each help further this movement by resolving to write, email or call a legislator about an AAUW issue in 2017.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Nancy Mion, ESVB Public Policy Director