In The Oregonian’s Mother’s Day issue, FFO Executive Director Andrea Paluso wrote about our high maternal poverty rates and how we can reduce them. The solutions to maternal poverty are known. In fact, the majority of developed countries around the world have made major progress in addressing maternal and child poverty — the U.S. lags far behind. Here are some of her suggestions to solve maternal poverty here in Oregon:
- Help mothers to access paid time away from work when a baby is born or a kid is sick is critical to ensuring that mothers can stay employed.
- Ensure that all families can access high-quality, affordable child care is a game-changer for moms.
- Promote school and work calendars that are more in sync helps moms to be there for their kids when school is out, without falling behind and getting passed over for promotions at work.
- Address the discrimination mothers face at work for their caregiving responsibilities and promoting equal pay for equal work are critical steps to narrowing economic gaps.
- Make sure health insurance and retirement savings programs are affordable and accessible outside paid work makes it possible for mothers to handle time in and out of the paid workforce (many of us do some of both) without jeopardizing their family’s economic security in the short and long term.
Read her full Guest Opinion piece here.