Eliminating Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in the World of Work
The Women’s Bureau hosted the Department of Labor’s first-ever summit on gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work, which featured multiple government agencies and representatives from the White House, international organizations and governments, unions, employers, worker organizations and more. It was a day to forge connections and share and generate ideas.
A panel of workers, organizers and union representatives shared the importance of worker-led initiatives to prevent and address gender-based violence and harassment at work. Dr. Catherine Powell from the White House Gender Policy Council emphasized the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to ending gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace and in all aspects of life, as evidenced by their 2023 National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. And representatives from the International Labour Organization, the ILO Office for the U.S. and Canada and the Government of Canada highlighted the role of ILO Convention 190 and its principles for governments working to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.
- View the readout
- See photos on LinkedIn or Instagram
- Watch a short video about efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work
- Read our blog on gender-based violence and harassment as a workplace safety and health issue
- Watch a recording of the summit
Strengthening the Care Economy
On June 26, WB hosted the Paid Leave: Equity in Implementation conference, which brought together researchers, state paid leave administrators and representatives from the federal government to discuss research findings, policy innovations and promising practices related to implementing equitable paid leave policies. The WB also released a new brief capturing how states are centering equity in their paid leave programs.
Panelists shared evidence about the effectiveness of equitable paid leave policies in reducing poverty and made the case that equity both in program design and in implementation should be top of mind for decision makers and administrators.
- View the readout
- Watch a short video about efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work
- Visit our Paid Leave webpage
Earlier in the month, Women’s Bureau Deputy Director Gayle Goldin (pictured above in the red jacket) joined the U.S. delegation, led by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), to the 2024 International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. ILAB and the Women’s Bureau took part in negotiations on the care economy, focusing on the unequal distribution of care work, promoting comprehensive leave policies, addressing all forms of discrimination and highlighting the importance of collective bargaining in the care economy.
Ensuring Equity in Infrastructure
Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su (pictured above right with Birmingham, Ala. Mayor Randall Woodfin) is traveling the country to uplift states and cities that are advancing good jobs and equity through the Biden-Harris administration’s historic federal investments in infrastructure. The Department’s Good Jobs Principles include living wages, good benefits, economic security, the right to a safe and respectful workplace and the right to organize and join a union. As a piece of this work, the Women’s Bureau is supporting efforts in communities across the country to ensure that underserved communities including women and people of color have access to job opportunities.
- Watch Acting Secretary Su’s short video
- Learn more about the Good Jobs Principles
- Get our guide to building an equitable infrastructure workforce
Observances
Pride Month – June
Father’s Day – June 16
International Domestic Workers Day – June 16
- Get info about domestic workers in the U.S. and access sample employment agreements for domestic workers in 8 languages
Women's Bureau in the News
- NPR: An Alabama manufacturer shows how to retain working moms: child care
- The Oregonian: Sand, sun, and financial strain: Why some parents are dreading summer break
- WBUR: Family child care is vital, but declining. Massachusetts is reversing the trend
- Provincetown Independent: Child-Care Providers Navigate a Trying Landscape
- LaborPress.org: Leah Rambo, President of NEW: An Extraordinary Leader
We Want to Hear from You!
“Occupational segregation” is the gendered sorting of men and women into different types of jobs. It leads to women being overrepresented in certain jobs, which are valued and compensated less than male-dominated jobs.
We’ve heard from many working women about their experiences with gendered job expectations, the challenges they face at work, the support systems that help them thrive and the policy changes that would help them succeed. We'd like to hear from you.
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