As
America celebrates today Women’s Equality Day, a day proclaimed
each year by the United States President to commemorate the granting
of the vote to women throughout the country on an equal basis with
men – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Equality_Day,
it is fitting to look into the role the Labor
Department’s Women’s Bureau has played in the continous struggle
of women
for
equality and
opportunity in the U.S. Workforce.
Since
the publication of ”American Women,” the Women’s Bureau has
continued
to advocate
for the nation’s working women. In the 1970s, the bureau threw its
support behind the Equal Rights Amendment, which sought to guarantee
equal rights for women. In 1984, the bureau launched a national
initiative to educate the public about the Job Training Partnership
Act and its potential to improve the economic status of women. In
1992, it joined the Employment and Training Administration in
administering the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional
Occupations program, to assist employers and labor unions in placing
and retaining women in apprenticeship and nontraditional occupations.
Read more: http://social.dol.gov/blog/champions-of-womens-work/
In
America today, there is still a long way to go before women are large
enough part of the corporate leadership ranks to shift the cultural
expectations of behavior, and debunk stereotypes.
As
discriminatory practices and negative gender stereotyping continue to
take their toll on women, the Labor Department’s Women’s
Bureau
– the only government agency whose mission is to advocate for the
economic advancement of women – is more important than ever before.
( ) Many work on shop floors, in restaurants or in call centers.
These women can’t afford to be judged on anything other than
whether or not they get results. For these women, many who support
their families as the sole breadwinner, our continuous demand for
dignity and respect in their work lives is essential.
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