March 24, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC--“Achieving Equity for Women: Policy Alternatives for the New Administration,” a one-day conference slated for April 2nd in Washington, DC, will bring key policymakers and leading researchers together to address critical issues facing American women: retirement, Social Security, and aging; women in the economic recovery; early care and education; and health care quality, cost, and access. Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor, will serve as the lunchtime keynote.
The advent of our new administration presents crucial opportunities to craft policies that address pressing economic, social, and health inequalities that women in the U.S. are facing,” says Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., president of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). “Our aim is to seize this important moment and bring key decision makers and researchers together to talk about priorities for the Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress in enhancing women’s status and security.”
Organized by IWPR and the Wellesley Centers for Women (WCW), the conference will feature expert perspectives and creative solutions from a dynamic line-up of speakers, including Secretary Solis, and: Jared Bernstein, Ph.D., Chief Economist, Office of the Vice President of the United States; Rebecca Blank, Ph.D., Robert S. Kerr Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Rosa DeLauro, U.S. Representative, Connecticut 3rd District; Danielle Ewen, Director, Child Care and Early Education Policy, Center for Law and Social Policy; Barbara Kennelly, President and CEO, National Committee to Preserve Medicare and Social Security; Charles Kolb, President, Committee for Economic Development; Gwen Moore, U.S. Representative, Wisconsin, 4th District; and Maya Rockeymoore, Ph.D., President and CEO, Global Policy Solutions.
“Our elected officials need the information that rigorous, quality research can provide—research that puts women’s perspectives, experiences, and needs at the center of the inquiry,” states Susan McGee Bailey, Ph.D., executive director of WCW. “In order to achieve meaningful change for women and families, public policy must be based on fact, not unsubstantiated trends and intriguing headlines.”
“Achieving Equity for Women: Policy Alternatives for the New Administration” will be held Thursday, April 2, from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center - Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington DC. Learn more at www.wcwonline.org/dcconference.
The Wellesley Centers for Women and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research bring more than 50 years of combined experience to the study of issues of importance to women and their families. They conduct rigorous, scholarly research and disseminate findings to advance policies addressing issues such as education, child care, employment, work/life balance, health care, and retirement. Their work has made a significant difference to public policy and programmatic practice. Learn more at www.wcwonline.org and www.iwpr.org.
