By Sarah Labadie, Associate Director of Policy, Women Employed June 9, 2022 We’ve all been there. An unexpected life event occurs — a parent falls ill, a family member needs medical attention, or we have an accident that puts us out of commission — and we need time off from…

A Statement on Illinois’ Budget From the Illinois Full & Fair Wage Coalition — The General Assembly passed the state budget early in the morning on April 9, 2022, which included $50 million of relief funds for restaurants-–without a guarantee that help will mean meaningful relief for Illinois’s restaurant workers. For too long, restaurant workers have been forgotten. Today in Illinois, tipped workers —…

March is Women’s History Month, a chance to commemorate women who have blazed the trail to advance gender equity and reflect on how women show up in the world every day of the year. For almost 50 years, WE has been at the forefront of advocating for fair, safe, inclusive…

March 2, 2022 Women Employed is committed to the bold social goal of closing the wealth gap at the intersection of race and gender. Working women and their families urgently need policies and supports that ensure that they can not only weather economic uncertainty and rising costs but also to…

February 25, 2022 Last week, Women Employed spoke in front of the House Appropriations — Higher Education Committee in support of Governor Pritzker’s proposed budget for higher education. The word that comes to mind when reviewing this budget is “opportunity.” By realizing this budget, Illinois has an opportunity to make…

As the state and country continue on the path to recovery from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the need for every Illinois student with college aspirations to earn a college degree is more urgent than ever. And yet, the current path to earning a degree from a public university here in…

October 28, 2021 The Build Back Better Framework is an essential first step toward not just recovering from the pandemic, but also building an economy that recognizes the needs of women, caregivers, and families. The framework includes historic investments in child care and home care; tax relief for workers and…

August 24, 2021 As members of the Illinois Higher Education Network, we applaud Governor Pritzker in signing SB815 into law yesterday. With SB815’s creation of a Commission on Equitable Public University Funding, Illinois is a step closer toward not only having a funding model that considers what it takes to…

By Mary Kay Devine, Senior Director of External Affairs at Women Employed, and full-time working mom to Lucy, Charles, Cecilia, and Eleanor. Before the construction paper homemade cards are complete with glitter and glue. Before the kids cook up plans to serve Mom breakfast in bed. Before we celebrate Mother’s…