11-04-2021
For the first time in history, the White House has put forth a strategic plan to address gender equity and equality. The plan prioritizes ten different areas, including economic security, to ensure equal access to good jobs and to dismantle persistent and systemic gender discrimination that impedes women in the workforce. To achieve economic security, the plan aims to ensure that “domestic workers receive the legal benefits and protections that they deserve” and to “seek increased pay for jobs that are disproportionately held by women by pursuing an increase in the minimum wage and the elimination of the tipped minimum wage.” Regarding the gender pay gap, the White House intends to work toward strengthening the laws against wage discrimination and ramping up the resources for enforcement. They want to increase pay transparency and eliminate disparities. The White House also announced its intention to end “forced arbitration and mandatory nondisclosure agreements” that prevent employees from pursuing their rights in court.
In addition, the White House will work to prevent gender-based violence by strengthening national and global laws and policies. It intends to increase access to health care which is identified as a right, not a privilege. Other stated priorities include addressing barriers to education for women that impact the ability of women to compete on a level playing field and advancing democracy, giving women and girls full access to social, economic, civic, and political life. The strategy applies domestically and globally in its support of women’s rights, “Implementing this strategy will require the leadership of every White House office and executive agency. This strategy is not just words on paper; it is a roadmap to deliver results for the American people and our partners around the world.” Each federal agency must create three goals to advance the strategy’s objectives.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a press release regarding its role in the strategy. The release notes the pandemic’s “disparate impact on women generally and women of color in particular” and the increased need to ensure gender is not a barrier to “economic security and opportunities in the workplace.”