WEBVTT 00:00.340 --> 00:02.118 Good morning and welcome to the 00:02.118 --> 00:03.951 Washington foreign press centres 00:03.951 --> 00:06.062 Briefing on Advancing Gender Equity , 00:06.062 --> 00:08.229 the latest entry and Our Understanding 00:08.229 --> 00:10.062 America series . My name is John 00:10.062 --> 00:12.284 McAndrew , and I am today's moderator . 00:12.284 --> 00:14.451 First , I'll introduce today's briefer 00:14.451 --> 00:16.618 and then I'll give the ground rules as 00:16.618 --> 00:18.229 we recognize the history and 00:18.229 --> 00:20.284 achievements of women this March for 00:20.284 --> 00:20.070 Women's History Month . We are 00:20.070 --> 00:22.237 delighted to have Fatima Goss Graves , 00:22.237 --> 00:24.126 president and CEO of the National 00:24.126 --> 00:26.070 Women's Law Center , here today to 00:26.070 --> 00:28.380 provide context and analysis of the top 00:28.380 --> 00:30.380 gender equity challenges facing the 00:30.380 --> 00:32.491 United States . As a career litigator 00:32.491 --> 00:34.769 and nationally recognized legal expert , 00:34.769 --> 00:36.880 God's Grace has a distinguished track 00:36.880 --> 00:38.991 record in advancing opportunities for 00:38.991 --> 00:40.991 women and girls , with a particular 00:40.991 --> 00:43.102 focus on outcomes for women and girls 00:43.102 --> 00:45.047 of color , and regularly testifies 00:45.047 --> 00:47.213 before Congress and federal agencies . 00:47.213 --> 00:49.269 She is also among the co founders of 00:49.269 --> 00:51.213 the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund , 00:51.213 --> 00:53.213 which supports individuals who have 00:53.213 --> 00:52.950 experienced sexual harassment or 00:52.950 --> 00:55.090 retaliation at work . Thank you , 00:55.090 --> 00:56.979 Fatima , for giving your time for 00:56.979 --> 00:58.923 today's briefing , and now for the 00:58.923 --> 01:01.090 ground rules , this briefing is on the 01:01.090 --> 01:02.868 record , the views expressed by 01:02.868 --> 01:04.701 briefers not affiliated with the 01:04.701 --> 01:04.350 Department of State or U . S . 01:04.350 --> 01:06.350 government are their own and do not 01:06.350 --> 01:08.183 necessarily reflect those of the 01:08.183 --> 01:10.128 Department of State or the U . S . 01:10.128 --> 01:12.128 Government Participation in foreign 01:12.128 --> 01:11.940 press . Enter programming does not 01:11.940 --> 01:13.718 imply endorsement , approval or 01:13.718 --> 01:15.940 recommendation of their views . We will 01:15.940 --> 01:17.996 post the transcript of this briefing 01:17.996 --> 01:20.218 later today on our website . Miss God's 01:20.218 --> 01:22.329 Grace will give opening remarks , and 01:22.329 --> 01:24.551 then we will open it up for questions . 01:24.551 --> 01:24.490 And with that , I will pass it over to 01:24.490 --> 01:26.490 our briefer over to you , Ms Goss . 01:26.490 --> 01:29.380 Graves . Thank you , Jen , and thank 01:29.380 --> 01:31.436 you to the foreign press center into 01:31.436 --> 01:33.713 everyone joining from around the world . 01:33.713 --> 01:35.960 It is so good to be with you . As Jen 01:35.960 --> 01:37.910 said , I'm Fatima Goss Graves I'm 01:37.910 --> 01:39.900 president and CEO of the National 01:39.900 --> 01:42.860 Women's Law Center . We are a national 01:42.860 --> 01:45.390 gender justice organization for for 01:45.390 --> 01:48.800 whom , uh , fights for Equality 01:48.800 --> 01:50.967 Equity , Justice for women and Girls . 01:50.967 --> 01:53.078 We've been doing this work for almost 01:53.078 --> 01:55.040 half a century , but especially in 01:55.040 --> 01:57.200 those communities that are most 01:57.200 --> 02:00.090 marginalized by discrimination and bias 02:00.100 --> 02:02.740 due to their identity . And we believe 02:02.740 --> 02:05.460 in a more just and equal future , and 02:05.460 --> 02:09.000 we know that the way to get there is 02:09.000 --> 02:12.090 through reform for not just our laws 02:12.100 --> 02:15.860 and our policies , but also our culture , 02:16.540 --> 02:18.810 and that couldn't be more true in this 02:18.810 --> 02:22.620 particular moment . In this moment , we 02:22.620 --> 02:25.260 are sitting with centuries of systemic 02:25.260 --> 02:28.460 racism and sexism that has really 02:28.460 --> 02:31.960 permeated the fabric of our society . 02:32.540 --> 02:35.640 And we're coming off of four years of 02:35.650 --> 02:38.680 an administration that was openly 02:38.680 --> 02:42.460 hostile to gender justice reforms . 02:43.140 --> 02:45.240 And now we are with a new 02:45.240 --> 02:48.070 administration that I'm sure feels like 02:48.070 --> 02:50.550 it has a lot on its plate . Uh , they 02:50.550 --> 02:53.260 were sworn in just two weeks after our 02:53.260 --> 02:56.060 nation survived a white supremacist 02:56.060 --> 02:58.282 lead right at the Capitol where members 02:58.282 --> 03:00.282 of Congress and their staff were in 03:00.282 --> 03:02.338 hiding in their office , where lives 03:02.338 --> 03:05.950 were lost . And in the weeks 03:05.960 --> 03:09.030 that have come since there has been a 03:09.030 --> 03:12.560 laser focus on restoring 03:12.560 --> 03:15.320 dignity and equity in this country , 03:15.320 --> 03:18.320 restoring justice in this country and 03:18.320 --> 03:20.120 in the early days of any new 03:20.120 --> 03:22.920 administration there is the work to get 03:22.930 --> 03:25.600 people in place , and that work is 03:25.600 --> 03:29.210 proceeding ahead . Although also slowed 03:29.210 --> 03:30.970 by the time it took to set up 03:30.980 --> 03:33.700 leadership and shift control of the 03:33.700 --> 03:36.640 Senate . Slowed by delays and efforts 03:36.640 --> 03:40.480 to block some nominees and some slowed 03:40.480 --> 03:43.130 by some obstruction that we have seen 03:43.140 --> 03:45.650 acutely for nominees of women of color . 03:45.650 --> 03:47.706 That is a thing that we are watching 03:47.706 --> 03:49.761 very closely at the National Women's 03:49.761 --> 03:53.530 Law Center . We're very concerned about 03:53.530 --> 03:57.090 what we believe to be the real risk of 03:57.090 --> 03:59.850 double standard play out for women of 03:59.850 --> 04:01.980 color nominees . That was the thing 04:01.980 --> 04:04.790 that we thought played out for sure in 04:04.790 --> 04:06.957 the nomination . And then the ultimate 04:06.957 --> 04:09.510 withdraw Neera Tanden to leave the 04:09.510 --> 04:12.200 Office of Management Budget at at the 04:12.200 --> 04:15.410 White House . And we are also paying 04:15.410 --> 04:17.521 very close attention to nominees that 04:17.521 --> 04:19.850 are coming forward . Really excellent 04:19.850 --> 04:22.550 nominees like Vanita Gupta , 04:22.560 --> 04:26.300 who would be the first woman of color 04:26.300 --> 04:28.522 to be the associate attorney general at 04:28.522 --> 04:31.870 the Department of Justice and is 04:31.880 --> 04:35.230 facing a million dollar ad campaign 04:35.230 --> 04:37.820 that is trying to somehow painter as 04:37.830 --> 04:41.770 radical . Or Kristin Clark , who's an 04:41.770 --> 04:44.470 extraordinary civil rights leader who 04:44.470 --> 04:47.730 would be the first black woman and 04:47.730 --> 04:49.841 actually the first woman confirmed in 04:49.841 --> 04:53.320 any role to be the assistant attorney 04:53.320 --> 04:55.098 general for civil rights at the 04:55.098 --> 04:57.400 Department of Justice . And we've 04:57.410 --> 04:59.850 already seen efforts to make her into a 04:59.860 --> 05:03.300 caricature of herself . So we are 05:03.300 --> 05:06.660 watching the makeup of people in the 05:06.660 --> 05:09.290 government very closely and very 05:09.290 --> 05:12.890 concerned and and wanting to be sure 05:12.890 --> 05:15.001 that the sort of double standard that 05:15.001 --> 05:17.168 we saw applied in your Tandon does not 05:17.168 --> 05:19.780 apply to these other highly qualified 05:19.780 --> 05:22.920 and exceptional nominees . But the 05:22.920 --> 05:25.230 administration also has a lot to do to 05:25.230 --> 05:27.770 not just undo the harms of the last 05:27.770 --> 05:29.548 four years , but to take on the 05:29.548 --> 05:31.960 systemic reforms that we so desperately 05:31.960 --> 05:34.800 need , especially as we are still 05:34.800 --> 05:36.744 suffering through the effects of a 05:36.744 --> 05:38.980 global pandemic that has devastated 05:38.980 --> 05:42.070 really our very way of life . And to 05:42.070 --> 05:43.570 say that this pandemic has 05:43.570 --> 05:45.459 disproportionately harmed women , 05:45.459 --> 05:47.570 especially women of color . That even 05:47.570 --> 05:50.540 would be an understatement . Women have 05:50.540 --> 05:53.960 really been decimated by this pandemic . 05:54.540 --> 05:56.429 The progress we have made towards 05:56.429 --> 05:59.460 economic equality has regressed past 05:59.470 --> 06:03.120 past decades for women in this country . 06:03.120 --> 06:06.670 Their employment rates are now , 06:06.680 --> 06:09.900 um , back to the levels that they were 06:09.900 --> 06:13.080 in the 19 eighties , and I'll come back 06:13.080 --> 06:17.000 to this in a minute . Um , but 06:17.000 --> 06:19.960 I also want to just name that in this 06:19.960 --> 06:23.790 type of period . We will also 06:23.800 --> 06:26.790 and have also had some winds . So 06:26.790 --> 06:30.350 before I go into some of the details 06:30.350 --> 06:33.460 around the work ahead , I want to 06:33.460 --> 06:35.930 really tell , um the story of some of 06:35.930 --> 06:37.986 the winds that we have had , even in 06:37.986 --> 06:40.380 the earliest days that we believe will 06:40.380 --> 06:44.050 further gender justice . And actually , 06:44.050 --> 06:46.272 the National Women's Law Center put out 06:46.272 --> 06:48.217 a campaign that we have called 100 06:48.217 --> 06:51.090 winds and 100 days to precisely name 06:51.100 --> 06:54.860 our priorities . And Marshall , uh , 06:54.870 --> 06:58.230 those who care about progress for the 06:58.230 --> 07:00.840 fights of head and some of the winds we 07:00.840 --> 07:02.618 have had so far have been broad 07:02.618 --> 07:05.050 reaching . We have seen this 07:05.050 --> 07:07.700 administration put out really critical 07:07.710 --> 07:10.030 executive orders on racial equity on 07:10.040 --> 07:13.430 LGBTQ equality on , uh , 07:13.440 --> 07:16.980 DACA on minimum wage and and 07:16.980 --> 07:20.740 contractors . Women are far more likely 07:20.750 --> 07:22.830 to be minimum wage workers in this 07:22.830 --> 07:24.830 country , even more so for women of 07:24.830 --> 07:28.710 color . Um , putting out rules 07:28.720 --> 07:31.560 on worker safety . Those things will be 07:31.560 --> 07:33.680 really important . They have also 07:33.680 --> 07:35.847 announced that they are establishing a 07:35.847 --> 07:38.350 gender policy council and that they 07:38.360 --> 07:41.840 have selected really veteran leaders in 07:41.840 --> 07:45.730 the gender best justice movement to 07:45.740 --> 07:49.190 leave that work . John Klein , who has 07:49.200 --> 07:52.640 decades of working in the women's 07:52.640 --> 07:56.570 movement and is a deep policy expert , 07:56.580 --> 08:00.440 and Julissa Reynoso , who comes 08:00.440 --> 08:03.920 with broad and long standing expertise , 08:03.920 --> 08:07.260 including in the global states and is 08:07.260 --> 08:09.427 also the first lady's chief of staff , 08:09.427 --> 08:11.482 but the two of them will co lead the 08:11.482 --> 08:13.427 Gender Policy Council . What we're 08:13.427 --> 08:17.350 still waiting for is the details of the 08:17.350 --> 08:20.100 work of the Gender Policy Council and 08:20.100 --> 08:22.020 the theory of the case from the 08:22.020 --> 08:24.500 administration on how gender policy 08:24.500 --> 08:26.333 will be organized throughout the 08:26.333 --> 08:28.500 government . We've been told that they 08:28.500 --> 08:30.556 will put out an executive order that 08:30.556 --> 08:33.750 gives us those answers , and so we are 08:33.750 --> 08:36.610 excited about many of those early early 08:36.610 --> 08:39.820 winds . But there is always more work 08:39.820 --> 08:42.060 to do . And as I said , the impact of 08:42.070 --> 08:45.220 Covid 19 on women and on our economy 08:45.220 --> 08:48.830 has put us at a very serious breaking 08:48.830 --> 08:52.360 0.1 that is a basically a national 08:52.370 --> 08:54.900 emergency to just give you a glimpse . 08:54.910 --> 08:57.250 In September , when schools came back 08:57.260 --> 09:01.260 online , 865,000 09:01.260 --> 09:04.910 women left the workforce as compared to 09:04.910 --> 09:08.240 230,000 men . In 09:08.240 --> 09:11.920 December , there were 100 and 56,000 09:11.920 --> 09:15.820 jobs lost all by women . While in 09:15.820 --> 09:19.050 that period women gained 16,000 jobs . 09:19.050 --> 09:21.350 And I should also be clear that these 09:21.350 --> 09:24.380 are largely women of color losing these 09:24.380 --> 09:28.310 jobs and part of it is uh , that 09:28.320 --> 09:30.680 you have the confluence of the several 09:30.680 --> 09:33.180 things coming together . One is that 09:33.180 --> 09:35.960 women are more likely to be deemed 09:35.970 --> 09:39.100 essential workers , in fact , for black 09:39.100 --> 09:41.156 women . One in three black women who 09:41.156 --> 09:43.211 were working . We're working in jobs 09:43.211 --> 09:45.322 that were deemed essential , the jobs 09:45.322 --> 09:47.520 you could not do in your home , in the 09:47.520 --> 09:50.260 way that my job is allowing me to do it 09:50.270 --> 09:53.410 in my home . And what that means is you 09:53.410 --> 09:56.020 have to have an ability to be out there 09:56.030 --> 09:58.250 in those roles , even as our care 09:58.260 --> 10:01.010 infrastructure has fallen apart . It is 10:01.010 --> 10:03.010 also the case that women are vastly 10:03.010 --> 10:06.120 overrepresented in jobs in 10:06.120 --> 10:07.720 sectors that have been 10:07.720 --> 10:10.053 disproportionately hit by this pandemic . 10:10.053 --> 10:11.720 That's especially true in the 10:11.720 --> 10:14.120 hospitality sector , sectors that 10:14.120 --> 10:17.560 shuttered and sectors that have not 10:17.570 --> 10:20.800 made it back . In the same way , women 10:20.800 --> 10:23.180 are also disproportionately in care 10:23.190 --> 10:26.240 jobs , which have been so unstable even 10:26.240 --> 10:29.770 in a time where there is so such deep , 10:29.770 --> 10:33.160 deep need for care supports . 10:33.540 --> 10:35.600 And so we're having to worry about 10:35.610 --> 10:39.200 economic safety and security . Um , in 10:39.200 --> 10:41.510 this time and in new ways and when you 10:41.520 --> 10:43.620 add to that the existing and 10:43.620 --> 10:46.030 longstanding wage gap , it meant that 10:46.040 --> 10:48.440 women did not enter this pandemic with 10:48.440 --> 10:51.460 the types of nest eggs they needed to 10:51.460 --> 10:54.170 survive and thrive . Black women make 10:54.170 --> 10:56.390 just 61 cents on the dollar , which 10:56.400 --> 10:59.750 equals about $940,000 have lost 10:59.760 --> 11:01.649 earnings over the course of their 11:01.649 --> 11:04.480 career . For Latino women , it is 55 11:04.480 --> 11:06.202 cents on the dollar , and that 11:06.202 --> 11:09.230 translates to about $1.1 million in 11:09.240 --> 11:12.420 urgent and earnings . The bottom line 11:12.430 --> 11:15.380 is we can do better than that , and 11:15.380 --> 11:18.290 there are actual policy solutions that 11:18.290 --> 11:21.330 would make a difference . The most 11:21.330 --> 11:24.500 immediate and urgent one is around the 11:24.500 --> 11:27.320 American rescue plan , which has passed 11:27.320 --> 11:29.431 the House in which the Senate will be 11:29.431 --> 11:32.710 considering over the next week . That 11:32.710 --> 11:36.600 plan is a priority for the 11:36.600 --> 11:38.767 National Women's Law Center , but it's 11:38.767 --> 11:40.878 a priority for so many people in this 11:40.878 --> 11:43.790 country . It's a priority because it 11:43.790 --> 11:46.340 will ensure that the benefits cliff of 11:46.350 --> 11:48.910 unemployment insurance , the that those 11:48.910 --> 11:52.370 insurance provisions will expire in a 11:52.370 --> 11:54.800 matter of days . If we don't do 11:54.800 --> 11:57.330 something about the rescue plan , it's 11:57.330 --> 12:01.150 a matter of urgency because if we don't 12:01.150 --> 12:03.620 do something about the impending 12:03.620 --> 12:06.510 housing crisis in this country , we 12:06.510 --> 12:08.940 will see a dramatic number of people 12:08.950 --> 12:11.760 who have no place to be who lose their 12:11.760 --> 12:14.760 homes in this moment as a matter of 12:14.760 --> 12:17.270 priority , because if we don't do 12:17.270 --> 12:19.950 things around food assistance , we will 12:19.950 --> 12:23.080 be find ourselves in deep , deep 12:23.090 --> 12:26.760 trouble as unemployment still hovers 12:26.770 --> 12:28.714 in really , really large numbers , 12:28.714 --> 12:31.530 especially for women of color . And if 12:31.530 --> 12:35.270 we don't have a significant and major 12:35.270 --> 12:38.270 investment in care , including in 12:38.270 --> 12:41.100 childcare , we will be in trouble . One 12:41.100 --> 12:43.140 out of six childcare jobs have been 12:43.140 --> 12:46.060 lost during this pandemic . Providers 12:46.060 --> 12:48.171 have shuttered their doors throughout 12:48.171 --> 12:50.720 the country and left even bigger areas 12:50.730 --> 12:53.370 of care desserts that even that were 12:53.380 --> 12:57.100 terrible even before the pandemic . So 12:57.100 --> 13:00.560 what we know is that we need to move 13:00.560 --> 13:03.490 the American rescue plan . It will 13:03.490 --> 13:06.190 stabilize the care sector , it will 13:06.190 --> 13:08.430 stabilize women and families in this 13:08.430 --> 13:10.990 country . And then we need to get to 13:10.990 --> 13:14.730 work to build on a longer term 13:14.740 --> 13:18.460 set of ideas and policies to ensure 13:18.470 --> 13:20.820 that people have the jobs they need in 13:20.820 --> 13:23.620 the infrastructure to ensure that we 13:23.620 --> 13:27.120 are not in the same situation again . 13:27.130 --> 13:30.040 So some of our priorities beyond what 13:30.040 --> 13:32.151 is in the American rescue plan . They 13:32.151 --> 13:34.590 include things like ensuring that we 13:34.600 --> 13:37.380 actually have real paid second family 13:37.380 --> 13:39.840 leave for all workers . It's ridiculous 13:39.840 --> 13:43.010 that these protections expired at the 13:43.020 --> 13:46.110 end of last year . We have shown that 13:46.110 --> 13:48.221 it is possible to have these sorts of 13:48.221 --> 13:51.090 really important protections , and 13:51.090 --> 13:53.940 Covid has shown what happens to 13:53.940 --> 13:56.140 families in this country when we don't 13:56.140 --> 13:58.980 have them . We also are seeking to 13:58.980 --> 14:01.500 raise the minimum wage to at least $15 14:01.500 --> 14:03.778 an hour through the Raise the Wage Act , 14:03.778 --> 14:06.620 and that includes one fair wage for 14:06.620 --> 14:09.980 tipped workers . And we have our eyes 14:09.980 --> 14:12.091 on moving the Paycheck Fairness Act , 14:12.091 --> 14:14.202 which would help strengthen our equal 14:14.202 --> 14:17.030 pay laws . We also need Congress to 14:17.030 --> 14:19.470 pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act , 14:19.480 --> 14:21.702 which would ensure that workers who are 14:21.702 --> 14:25.220 pregnant aren't making decisions about 14:25.230 --> 14:27.008 their ability to hold a healthy 14:27.008 --> 14:29.710 pregnancy and their ability to maintain 14:29.720 --> 14:33.160 a job precisely when they need income . 14:33.170 --> 14:35.370 We've been working on this legislation 14:35.370 --> 14:37.760 for nearly a decade . States around 14:37.760 --> 14:41.690 this country , from South Carolina 14:41.700 --> 14:45.200 to California have passed 14:45.200 --> 14:47.450 versions of it . It is time to have a 14:47.450 --> 14:50.450 clear and unequivocal national standard 14:50.540 --> 14:53.470 around how we support our pregnant 14:53.480 --> 14:57.010 workers , and we need the sort of 14:57.020 --> 14:59.900 investment for the long term and child 14:59.900 --> 15:02.860 care that goes beyond the even historic 15:02.870 --> 15:06.600 investment that you will see in the 15:06.610 --> 15:08.800 rescue plan . We need this sort of 15:08.800 --> 15:11.080 investment to ensure that the child 15:11.080 --> 15:13.980 care sector is stable . That recognizes 15:13.980 --> 15:16.520 that child care is a public good in the 15:16.520 --> 15:20.060 United States , plain and simple . 15:21.040 --> 15:23.940 And make no mistake , many of these 15:23.940 --> 15:27.290 things in this conversation might stone 15:27.290 --> 15:29.410 Town still like kind of the bare 15:29.410 --> 15:33.030 minimum to get us by . But there's 15:33.030 --> 15:35.140 nothing like a pandemic to focus the 15:35.140 --> 15:37.420 mind on what you need and what family 15:37.420 --> 15:40.590 needs to get us by but also strengthen 15:40.590 --> 15:44.250 these systems for the future . And as 15:44.250 --> 15:46.480 we're working through this crisis , the 15:46.480 --> 15:48.313 law center is also preparing and 15:48.313 --> 15:50.550 fighting for the more just future that 15:50.550 --> 15:54.390 we know as possible , for example , 15:54.390 --> 15:57.410 on reproductive freedom includes access 15:57.410 --> 16:00.470 to birth control , access to abortion 16:00.470 --> 16:02.692 care . And , yes , that's a word we say 16:02.692 --> 16:06.460 out loud that is critical to 16:06.470 --> 16:09.690 the health of people in this country . 16:09.690 --> 16:12.160 It's a fundamental tenet of healthcare 16:12.340 --> 16:14.507 and the idea that we have had to every 16:14.507 --> 16:17.030 single year face up against extremist 16:17.030 --> 16:18.808 elected officials who have been 16:18.808 --> 16:21.050 chipping away at those rights . It 16:21.060 --> 16:24.770 undermines freedoms for everyone . We 16:24.770 --> 16:28.310 also know that we can take on an in 16:28.310 --> 16:31.330 sexual harassment and violence not only 16:31.330 --> 16:34.030 perpetrated by individuals but also 16:34.030 --> 16:37.810 enabled by institutions . We have been 16:37.810 --> 16:40.450 fighting for these laws , like be heard 16:40.450 --> 16:42.920 in the workplace , for safe spaces and 16:42.920 --> 16:45.290 work , and on campuses where students 16:45.290 --> 16:47.300 attend , where survivors can share 16:47.300 --> 16:49.244 their stories and seek justice and 16:49.244 --> 16:51.480 healing . At the law center , we house 16:51.480 --> 16:53.480 and run the time's up legal defense 16:53.480 --> 16:55.702 fund . It is only three years old , and 16:55.702 --> 16:57.813 in that time we've been able to serve 16:57.813 --> 17:01.180 almost 5000 individuals , and each 17:01.180 --> 17:03.760 person who comes through a common story 17:03.760 --> 17:07.040 that we hear is that a person came 17:07.040 --> 17:09.980 through because they saw somebody else . 17:09.990 --> 17:12.400 That sort of culture work of 17:12.410 --> 17:15.490 understanding that you are not alone is 17:15.490 --> 17:17.770 shifting and changing radically , and 17:17.770 --> 17:20.160 it gives me great hope for the future 17:21.140 --> 17:23.600 and for black survivors in particular 17:23.600 --> 17:26.690 and other survivors of color . Part of 17:26.700 --> 17:29.180 our important role right now is to 17:29.190 --> 17:31.700 ensure that they see themselves in this 17:31.700 --> 17:33.960 work , that their stories are not 17:33.960 --> 17:36.180 dismissed , that they are not 17:36.180 --> 17:38.570 disbelieved in the way that they have 17:38.580 --> 17:41.810 been . We're also focused on 17:41.810 --> 17:45.240 passing the equality Act right now . 17:45.250 --> 17:47.690 The fact that in 2021 . We're still 17:47.690 --> 17:50.050 even dealing with this bill and that it 17:50.050 --> 17:52.170 would face any opposition is really 17:52.170 --> 17:54.830 unbelievable and unthinkable . It's a 17:54.840 --> 17:57.007 vital step towards closing the gaps in 17:57.007 --> 18:00.320 our law that leave many , bisexual and 18:00.320 --> 18:02.660 transgender women and girls exposed to 18:02.660 --> 18:06.210 poverty and isolation and vice and 18:06.210 --> 18:08.380 violence . The Equality Act would also 18:08.380 --> 18:10.670 provide important new protections 18:10.670 --> 18:13.410 against discrimination in public spaces 18:13.410 --> 18:15.690 and in federal spending , closing 18:15.690 --> 18:18.050 longstanding gaps that hurt all women . 18:19.040 --> 18:20.707 And the Senate has a historic 18:20.707 --> 18:23.320 opportunity to build off the step that 18:23.320 --> 18:26.740 the House took just over the last 18:26.750 --> 18:29.570 week to put us in the place for that 18:29.570 --> 18:32.130 future . There is so much more that the 18:32.130 --> 18:33.852 lawsuit is focussed on , but I 18:33.852 --> 18:35.741 definitely want to leave time for 18:35.741 --> 18:37.852 questions . And so with that , I will 18:37.852 --> 18:40.019 close with basically where I started . 18:40.019 --> 18:42.074 And that is that I believe in a more 18:42.074 --> 18:44.074 just and equal future for women and 18:44.074 --> 18:46.470 girls , especially for women and girls 18:46.470 --> 18:50.400 of color for LGBT Q people . And 18:50.400 --> 18:52.511 I believe in centering that belief in 18:52.511 --> 18:54.900 the actions this administration takes 18:54.910 --> 18:58.750 is key to a more just and 18:58.760 --> 19:02.060 a more equal future for all of us . 19:02.640 --> 19:05.340 So thank you again and I guess I will 19:05.340 --> 19:09.330 turn it back to Jen . Thank you 19:09.330 --> 19:12.070 very much for that . We will now start 19:12.070 --> 19:14.640 the Q and A as a reminder . You can 19:14.650 --> 19:16.594 raise your hand in the participant 19:16.594 --> 19:18.650 field to ask your question . You can 19:18.650 --> 19:20.730 also submit a question in the chat 19:20.730 --> 19:23.950 field , which I will then read . Um , 19:24.340 --> 19:26.340 so over two questions . Does anyone 19:26.340 --> 19:27.340 have one ? 19:34.740 --> 19:37.310 I know we did have a submitted question 19:37.310 --> 19:40.440 that came in advance from one of our 19:40.440 --> 19:43.730 journalists from Japan , about the 19:43.730 --> 19:45.952 effects of the pandemic on women in the 19:45.952 --> 19:48.120 workplace . I know you have spoken a 19:48.120 --> 19:50.231 little bit about that in your opening 19:50.231 --> 19:52.342 remarks , but maybe you could delve a 19:52.342 --> 19:56.050 little bit more into it . Um , for 19:56.050 --> 19:59.660 sure . So excuse me . One of 19:59.660 --> 20:02.200 things that we know is that since the 20:02.200 --> 20:05.120 onset of the pandemic , women in this 20:05.120 --> 20:07.960 country lost 2.5 million Dobbs . 20:08.940 --> 20:12.630 And in September alone you saw an 20:12.630 --> 20:15.820 extraordinary sharp 20:15.830 --> 20:19.280 uptick in job glass and for any person 20:19.280 --> 20:21.447 who is doing what many of us have been 20:21.447 --> 20:23.669 doing for many months , which is trying 20:23.669 --> 20:25.891 to work while also care , in some cases 20:25.891 --> 20:29.780 also potentially home schooling . That 20:29.780 --> 20:32.690 September uptick came as no surprise 20:32.690 --> 20:34.579 because that is when schools came 20:34.579 --> 20:36.780 online and people were put in an 20:36.780 --> 20:40.160 impossible situations . That's when we 20:40.160 --> 20:43.730 saw over 800,000 women lose 20:43.730 --> 20:47.250 jobs as compared to about a little over 20:47.250 --> 20:51.070 200,000 men lose jobs . But in 20:51.070 --> 20:54.010 December we were sort of floored when 20:54.010 --> 20:57.660 we saw the number that basically all 20:57.660 --> 20:59.880 those job losses that happen in 20:59.880 --> 21:02.580 December and yet another spike in job 21:02.580 --> 21:06.180 losses that those job losses went work 21:06.180 --> 21:10.120 to women of color . So what we know 21:10.120 --> 21:13.720 is that there are actual solutions . 21:13.730 --> 21:15.674 It's going to take a multi pronged 21:15.674 --> 21:17.563 approach to ensure that women can 21:17.563 --> 21:19.790 actually get back to work . Some of 21:19.790 --> 21:22.250 that is understanding the sectors that 21:22.250 --> 21:25.140 they were in , and so our job and 21:25.140 --> 21:29.140 recovery plan . It absolutely has to 21:29.150 --> 21:31.372 be different from the ones we've had in 21:31.372 --> 21:34.010 the past . It is not just about 21:34.020 --> 21:36.400 building roads and bridges , although 21:36.400 --> 21:38.122 that sort of infrastructure is 21:38.122 --> 21:41.800 important . It is also about looking at 21:41.800 --> 21:43.830 the jobs that we have actually 21:43.830 --> 21:45.980 determined are essential to our lives 21:45.980 --> 21:49.150 that are in person jobs in in the 21:49.150 --> 21:51.740 hospitality sector , in the care sector 21:51.740 --> 21:53.962 in the healthcare sector , and ensuring 21:53.962 --> 21:56.018 that those jobs are both quality and 21:56.018 --> 21:59.680 that they pay dignity , wages . And we 21:59.680 --> 22:03.370 will not get out of this 22:03.380 --> 22:07.200 circle of harm for 22:07.200 --> 22:09.380 women without addressing the care 22:09.380 --> 22:12.870 crisis that includes a major investment 22:12.880 --> 22:16.380 in child care . Includes long term care . 22:16.390 --> 22:18.710 It also includes ensuring that we have 22:18.710 --> 22:20.960 real paid family and medical leave . 22:24.640 --> 22:26.640 Okay , thank you . I'll do one more 22:26.640 --> 22:28.807 call for questions . You can virtually 22:28.807 --> 22:30.918 raise your hand or submit in the chat 22:30.918 --> 22:32.770 box . Uh huh . 22:35.640 --> 22:37.696 If there are no questions and I will 22:37.696 --> 22:39.862 turn it back over to Ms Goss Graves to 22:39.862 --> 22:41.862 make closing remarks and then we'll 22:41.862 --> 22:43.918 conclude the briefing today , Well , 22:43.918 --> 22:46.080 thank you so much . And it has been a 22:46.090 --> 22:48.750 real great pleasure to be with all of 22:48.750 --> 22:52.750 you around the world . I would say that 22:52.750 --> 22:56.020 this is a time where things feel really 22:56.020 --> 22:58.440 fraught for women . Uh , and their 22:58.440 --> 23:00.440 families in this country fraught 23:00.450 --> 23:02.561 because of this pandemic and economic 23:02.561 --> 23:04.950 crisis and care crisis . Right , 23:04.960 --> 23:06.960 because our democracy frankly feels 23:06.960 --> 23:10.870 frat . Um , but it is also a time 23:10.880 --> 23:13.560 where there is tremendous opportunity 23:13.570 --> 23:17.180 and hope . We are this close to making 23:17.180 --> 23:20.840 the sort of investment to stem the tide 23:20.840 --> 23:23.460 and to ensure that families can make it 23:23.460 --> 23:26.460 through this recovery . And we have an 23:26.460 --> 23:28.571 administration that has named that it 23:28.571 --> 23:32.170 plans to have a real plan for jobs in 23:32.170 --> 23:34.337 recovery . And there's a chance to put 23:34.337 --> 23:36.614 the care economy at the center of that . 23:36.614 --> 23:38.840 So we will continue to do the work at 23:38.840 --> 23:40.840 the National Women's Law Center for 23:40.840 --> 23:44.160 sure , alongside so many partners . Um , 23:44.160 --> 23:47.640 but I am hopeful by what is to 23:47.640 --> 23:50.350 come and ahead . Thank you very much . 23:51.340 --> 23:53.618 Thank you very much , Mr Goss . Graves . 23:53.618 --> 23:55.729 That concludes today's briefing . And 23:55.729 --> 23:57.896 good morning to everyone . Thank you . 23:57.896 --> 23:57.550 Mhm .