Social Wage Committee Speaks at International Women’s Day Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 4, 2008

CONTACT: Jen Sunderland, Vice Chair of the Social Wage Committee
Tel.  347-613-5030 Email. jensun_yeah@yahoo.com

Social Wage Committee Speaks at International Women's Day Event

WHO: The Social Wage Committee

WHAT: Jen Sunderland speaks about unfinished women's liberation agenda at International Women's Day Event sponsored by Brooklyn-Queens NOW.

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, March 8, 2008 from 3pm – 5pm. The Church of Gethsemane, 1012 8th Avenue (between 10th and 11th Streets) Park Slope, Brooklyn (Take the F train to 7th Avenue)

One of the biggest obstacles that we face in winning freedom for women in the U.S. is what Redstockings calls the Myth of America — the belief that women in the U.S. have it the best and are the most liberated women.  We're not! “By looking at the experiences of women in other countries that have universal social programs, we see that other women have more time, more economic independence and less work,”  said Jennifer Sunderland, vice president of the Social Wage Committee.

Dozens of countries have national health insurance not dependent on jobs or marriage; free or nearly free child care and elder care; 6 to 12 months or more of paid parental leave; and shorter working hours than we have in the U.S. These are provided to every individual regardless of marriage or employment and this gives women in these other countries more economic independence from men and more democracy at work and home.  Many countries have all of these things; others have some of them.  Our government doesn't guarantee any of them.

Fighting for social wage programs such as national health insurance, paid parental leave, and universal childcare is a big part of the unfinished work of the women's liberation movement in the U.S.  In addition to these universal programs, we are still fighting for men to do their fair share of the care work.