This resolution express support for policies and infrastructure to adequately support mothers in the workforce.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 605 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 605
Recognizing that the United States needs to support and strengthen
mothers in the workforce by investing in the Mom Economy.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 20, 2023
Ms. Meng submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing that the United States needs to support and strengthen
mothers in the workforce by investing in the Mom Economy.
Whereas mothers are an essential part of the American workforce and the United
States economy;
Whereas 2,500,000 women left the workforce in the first year of the COVID-19
pandemic, compared with 1,800,000 men, largely as a result of the
burdens of childcare, work, and remote learning;
Whereas maternal employment fell by 15.7 percent as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic, compared to paternal employment which fell by 9.6 percent in
the same time period;
Whereas at least 4 out of every 10 women report having experienced gender
discrimination at work;
Whereas, on average, women are paid 77 cents for every dollar paid to men;
Whereas Black women, Latinas, Native women, and many communities of Asian-
American Pacific-Islander women experience higher poverty rates and
higher wage gaps compared to White, non-Hispanic men;
Whereas women occupy close to two-thirds of jobs that pay the Federal minimum
wage or just a few dollars above it;
Whereas even 1 percent of mothers leaving the workforce would result in an
estimated $8,700,000,000 economic fallout for families;
Whereas strong investments in childcare are essential for women's full
employment, and United States gross domestic product would increase by
10 to 15 basis points with such investments;
Whereas half of families in the United States with children under the age of 18
have a mother who contributes at least 40 percent of household earnings;
Whereas mothers of color play a vital role in the financial stability of their
families with 79 percent of Black mothers, 64 percent of Native American
mothers, 49 percent of Latina mothers, and 43 percent of Asian-American
and Pacific-Islander mothers serving as breadwinners;
Whereas, in addition to the economic security that mothers provide for their
families, mothers are more than 3 times as likely as fathers to be
responsible for most of the housework and caregiving in their
households;
Whereas, in addition to caregiving for children, mothers disproportionately
shoulder unpaid caregiving responsibilities for older relatives and
other family members with disabilities;
Whereas women are twice as likely as men to say that taking time off had a
negative impact on their professional development;
Whereas industries dominated by women disproportionately fail to provide family-
friendly workplace benefits like paid family and medical leave, health
insurance, and retirement plans;
Whereas 44 percent of workers are not eligible for unpaid, job-protected leave
for specified family and medical reasons as provided for by the Family
and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (29 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.);
Whereas 3 out of 10 women without access to paid leave exit the workforce after
giving birth;
Whereas paid leave policies can reduce the number of women leaving their jobs by
20 percent in the first year after welcoming a child and up to 50
percent after 5 years;
Whereas mothers sometimes find childcare costs are almost as much as their
paychecks, creating a financial incentive for mothers to leave the
workforce in exchange for childcare duties;
Whereas 40 percent of parents have gone into debt due to the high costs of
childcare;
Whereas the childcare crisis costs the United States $122,000,000,000 each year,
including $78,000,000,000 in lost earnings and job search expenses,
$23,000,000,000 in lost workforce productivity, and $21,000,000,000 in
lost tax revenue;
Whereas a significant investment in childcare is simultaneously job creating and
job enabling, creating good jobs and supporting parental employment;
Whereas, by encouraging women to remain in the workforce full time, access to
paid leave and childcare significantly boost mothers' lifetime earning
potential;
Whereas the 2021 temporary expansion of the child tax credit lifted 3,700,000
children out of poverty;
Whereas families used the child tax credit to cover routine expenses, improve
nutrition, decrease reliance on credit cards and other high-risk
financial services, and make long-term educational investments; and
Whereas families of color saw the largest quality of life improvements due to
the expansion of the child tax credit in 2021: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) the United States needs to prioritize a Mom Economy
that invests in the caregiving infrastructure required to
adequately support and empower mothers in the workforce and
sustain a thriving economy;
(2) mothers, especially mothers of color, face systemic
economic and social inequalities that restrict their ability to
balance parenting responsibilities with workplace roles and
limit their professional advancement;
(3) mothers play an integral role not only in the financial
well-being of their families but in the productivity of the
American economy as a whole;
(4) the United States should invest in its mothers by
expanding and developing the social safety net in order to
secure meaningful and sustainable economic growth by investing,
at a minimum, in programs including--
(A) robust paid family and medical leave plans for
all workers, including--
(i) paid parental leave following the birth
of a child or the placement of a child for
adoption or foster care, provided in equal
amounts for all parents regardless of gender;
and
(ii) paid leave policies that can be used
for family caregiving and workers' own medical
leave;
(B) paid menstrual leave and remote work
accommodations for workers experiencing debilitating
menstrual or menopause symptoms;
(C) investment in the childcare industry with the
goal of providing universal childcare and early
learning, including--
(i) robust funding for the Head Start and
Early Head Start programs;
(ii) Federal financial support for
childcare programs to guarantee all families
have access to affordable and high quality
child care; and
(iii) commitments to pay childcare workers
a dignified, living wage;
(D) access to nutritious food as a health and human
right, including through--
(i) boosting SNAP maximum and minimum
benefits and removing barriers to access,
including time restrictions and additional work
requirements; and
(ii) increasing funds for school meals and
other nutrition programs to combat child hunger
and making school meals more accessible;
(E) the implementation and expansion of child
poverty reduction tools that improve income security,
infant and maternal health, and educational and
economic outcomes into the second generation,
including--
(i) a permanent expansion of the child tax
credit; and
(ii) improvements on the earned income tax
credit, which lifts millions of people above
the poverty line each year and boosts labor
force participation among single mothers;
(F) addressing the Nation's maternal mortality
crisis through critical investments in maternal health
care, including ensuring access to the full range of
reproductive health care and family planning;
(G) raising the Federal minimum wage higher for all
workers, including tipped workers, and adjusting it on
a yearly basis to keep pace with inflation; and
(H) investments in legislation that ensures
protections for LGBTQ+ mothers in the workplace such as
the Equality Act and reduces wage discrimination such
as the Paycheck Fairness Act; and
(5) United States policymakers should include a specific
focus on working mothers in future policymaking, beyond the
aforementioned policies, including with regards to economic
policy, fiscal policy, and social safety net policy, in order
to ensure that working mothers and other caregivers can
continue to balance their roles as family anchors and
caregivers with their work and economic contributions, both to
their families and the economy of the United States.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
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