Issues
Women’s Rights
Re-balancing Female Power & Influence
As the first woman President of the United States, I would be deeply aware of my pivotal role in ushering in a new era of female leadership. If I am given the authority, I will use the full powers of the presidency to advocate for the things women care about.
One of the most profound shifts of the 21st Century is the emerging power of women. From the #MeToo movement to issues of equal pay for equal work, from shattering glass ceilings to dismantling patriarchal economic and social systems, the 21st Century will continue to see a deep rebalancing of male and female power.
As the first woman President of the United States, I would be deeply aware of my pivotal role in ushering in a new era of female leadership. If I am given the authority, I will use the full powers of the presidency to advocate for the things women care about.
In many ways, it is difficult to separate issues of women’s health and pay equity. Women still make, on average, just 83 cents for every dollar earned by men, and this affects every aspect of a woman’s life, including her health and well-being.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites multiple studies that show between 22% and 57% of homeless women are homeless because of violence committed against her. One in three American women are living on the brink of poverty. Women are not only breadwinners in the family, but they are often also the primary caregivers for their children. Consequently, there are few ways to improve families without improving the economic circumstances of women.
Furthermore, statistics show us that women care more about the environment, and the earth itself than most men. Consequently, it is not only supporting women economically but adopting their mindsets of protection of community and planet, that needs to be a priority for any White House, and certainly will be in mine.
SPECIFICS
The Williamson Administration will support the following policies in order to protect and benefit women:
- Appointing federal judges and Supreme Court judges who acknowledge Roe v. Wade as the law of the land, and support the Constitutional right to Privacy.
- Codify Roe v. Wade into federal law (See Reproductive Justice).
- Repeal the Hyde Amendment and lift the ban on insurance coverage of abortion.
- Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and ensure its reauthorization in 2027 when it is set to expire.
- Pass the Equal Rights Amendment to ensure women’s rights are once and for all a part of our national law.
- Increase rules, regulations, and oversight to prevent pregnancy-related discrimination.
- Enact Paid Family and Medical Leave through the FAMILY Act, enabling women to make money while still taking care of family and loved ones.
- Urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to ensure women are paid equally for equal work.
- Urge Congress to pass the EMPOWER Act – Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace Harassment through Education and Reporting Act.
- Empower the Justice Department to prevent sexual harassment, discrimination, and rape.
- Fully fund Headstart and high-quality childcare programs.
- Expand and fully fund welfare food stamp coverage for low-income families and children.
- Increase Social Security benefits, particularly to close the gap between male and female recipients. Raising children is unpaid labor, and women should not be financially penalized for this as we age. The work of building a family is as hard, as significant, and as beneficial to society and the economy as any other form of labor. Social security benefits should reflect this.
- Ensure that domestic abusers cannot own or buy a gun, including law enforcement.
- Decriminalizing sex work.
- Federally fund and expedite all rape kit testing.
- Expand The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program.
- Protect and enforce Title IX.
- Ensure that sexual harassment and violence in the military is prosecuted.
By adopting policies to protect women, society simply protects itself.
