Women’s Independent Press

by Dorit Brauer
www.doritbrauer.com

The regular practice of meditation and guided imagery is the most powerful form of preventative medicine. It reduces stress, which is a major cause for many diseases.
Meditation and guided imagery shows you how to achieve positive changes in your body through the power of your mind.
Every thought that enters your mind creates reality.
On a personal level you can very easily observe this fact. If you entertain positive thoughts and feel happy you are having a good day. If you are down and upset the opposite happens.
I would like to share three simple meditation exercises with you:
1. Breathe to your abdomen. When you are stressed you breathe to your chest. Abdominal breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system and breaks the stress cycle.
2. Focus on happy memories. Feel the vibration of happiness and joy. Feel the smile on your lips. Research has shown that a happy outlook on life strengthens your immune system. And please remember that whatever you focus on you get more of.
3. Visualize yourself surrounded by bright-shining, benevolent light. The light is all around you. It protects you and shields you from all harmful influences. Through your breathing you bring this light into your body.
Let it fill you entirely and exhale everything that does not serve your highest good. The light cleanses and purifies your entire being. Make this a daily habit, so you don’t internalize negative emotions and stress which, over time, may manifest as disease in your physical body.
Scientific studies have proven that the regular practice of meditation and guided imagery has many positive benefits. These include:
• control of blood pressure with less medication
• reduction in chronic pain
• improvements in sleep
• reduction of premenstrual symptoms
• reduction of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy
• reduction in anxiety
• and more
Please enjoy the FREE meditation video “Heal yourself & Heal the World.” at www.doritbrauer.com. You are invited to practice this meditation daily and experience a healthy, happy and relaxed life.

You’ve just arrived at Dad’s house and, once again, he’s having toast for dinner. “Why cook,” he laments, “when I’m all alone.” Lack of companionship and cooking for one are among the top mealtime challenges that seniors face, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network.

For fifteen years, the Home Instead Senior Care® franchise network has been devoted to providing seniors with the highest quality care in their own homes, and to arming families with the information they need to make the best decisions about caring for aging loved ones. The Craving Companionship campaign is part of that effort, designed to help seniors connect socially and eat more nutritiously.
“There is no question that having meals with other people in a group setting is preferable to eating alone,” said Carol Greenwood, Ph.D., Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist at Baycrest, expert source for the Craving Companionship program. “Seniors who eat alone often have an underlying isolation and depression and lack of social engagement. This leads to low quality of life and a more rapid decline as they age,” Greenwood noted.

Following is the list of challenges that seniors identified in the Home Instead Senior Care network survey as a problem for older adults who live alone.
• Grocery shopping for one (79 percent)
• Lack of companionship during mealtimes (75 percent)
• Cooking for one (74 percent)
• Eating nutritious meals (65 percent)
• Eating three meals a day (65 percent)
• High expense of cooking for one (64 percent)
• Loss of appetite (60 percent)
• Relying too much on convenience food (57 percent)
• Eating too little food (47 percent)
• Eating too much food (38 percent)
Strategies for cooking for one include buying healthy, low-sodium frozen dinners and freezing leftovers. Most any type of food can be frozen including sliced and seeded fruit. For more ideas, please visit: www.MealsAndCompanionship.com.

If you, or any organization of which you are a part, is interested in learning more, please contact our office. We would be happy to speak to your group free of charge about this subject, our services, and even employment opportunities.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Champagne, Human Resource Coordinator
Home Instead Senior Care
1102 S Braddock Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Phone: (412) 731-0733
Rebecca.Champagne@homeinstead.com

By Yvonne Phillips
yvonnephillips1@aol.com

In the year of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, the loved ones of all victims are brought to mind, as well as the military and their families, for whom sacrifice is a way of life.

According to the National Military Family Association, “There are nearly 1.8 million children of active duty, National Guard, and Reserve parents. Deployments are not new to military families, but since 9/11 many parents have been deploying, sometimes on multiple tours, to combat zones for months or more than a year at a time. Service members also frequently go on Temporary Duty (TDY), which can range from a few days to six months. Separation has become a way of life for these families.”

Feng Shui’s healing and supportive impacts create an atmosphere of calm and positive feeling regardless of whether the living space represents a familiar place or an entirely new living environment. Enhance grounding for young people who initially may struggle with a sense of belonging by considering the Earth element by using colors such as tan, brown, green or yellow.
To activate stability, such items as rocks, nature art, sand and crystals add a dash of interest and texture.

Cultivating a helpful relationships at school and within the community and household by using the bagua map which can be found at www.creativecolordesign.com to find the right front corner of a room or house and using black, white or silver accents in that area to ignite supportive bonds and integrated experiences. Find the back middle of your space and add splashes of red to enhance reputation in the outer worlds of school and community, employing the critical fire element of Feng Shui practice. A lamp and items representing achievement, such as certificates and photos will further enhance positive flow in the areas of public profile and reputation.

Children of military families shoulder greater responsibilities, often sacrificing activities and study time to assist in the duties of running a household. They possess a unique life perspective of great breadth and depth. Creating a space for them that feels like their own while offering comfort, calm and stability can be accomplished through simple intention and the easy and accessible help of Feng Shui.

By Anna Marie Petrarca Gire
Domestic violence affects all areas of our communities, including the workplace. An employee’s home life can affect their performance at work, particularly with an issue like domestic violence. Many abusers will stalk, harass, threaten or injure a significant other at work. For the victim, actions like these can present barriers to getting and keeping a job. For the employer and co-workers, it can result in higher medical costs, reduced productivity, absenteeism and an increased risk of violence to others.
Not only is domestic violence devastating for people, Domestic Violence is bad for business. By choosing to proactively address this issue in the workplace, employers can:
• Enhance workplace safety
• Increase employee productivity and morale
• Decrease absenteeism and turnover
• Create a powerful, positive impact in the community
• Implement effective prevention and intervention strategies
A recent study in Maine found that 78% of surveyed perpetrators used workplace resources to express remorse or anger, check up on, pressure or threaten the victim.
Prevalence of Domestic Violence in the workplace
In 2005, a national benchmark survey of 1200 employed adults (age 18 plus) by the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence found that intimate partner violence has a wide and far-reaching effect on Americans working lives:
• 44% of employed adults surveyed personally experienced the effects of domestic violence
• 21% of respondents (men and women) identified themselves as victims of intimate partner violence
• 64% of victims of domestic violence indicated that their ability to work was affected by the violence.
American Bar Association Commission
Studies reported on in 2006 by the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence reflect that:
• 30-53% of employed victims of domestic violence lose their jobs due at least in part to the abuse
• 78% reported being late to work as a result of domestic violence
• 47% reported being assaulted before work
• 67% said the perpetrator came to the workplace
• 96-98% of employed domestic violence victims experienced problems at work related to the abuse

Domestic violence encompasses a wide range of acts committed by one person against another in an intimate relationship or within a family. It is a pattern of coercive behavior that is used by one person to gain power and control over another. This may include physical violence, sexual, emotional and psychological intimidation, verbal abuse, stalking and economic control. It may take the form of breaking objects, hurting/killing pets, yelling, driving recklessly to endanger or scare the victim, isolating the victim from friends and family members and controlling resources like money, vehicles, credit, medications and time. In same gender relationships, it can include threats to out the victim.
Domestic violence can happen to people of all racial, economic, educational, religious backgrounds and in heterosexual and same gender relationships. While both men and women may be victims of domestic violence, research shows that the overwhelming majority of adult victims are women and that domestic violence is a major cause of injury to women.
Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey (July 2000) indicate that domestic violence is pervasive in U.S. society. Analysis of the survey data from calls to 8,000 U.S. women and 8,000 U.S. men, produced the following key results:
• Nearly 25% of women and 7.6% of men said they were raped and or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabitating partner or date in their lifetime.
• Almost 5% of women and 0.6 % of men experienced stalking by a current or former spouse, cohabitating partner or date in their lifetime.
• Women experience more chronic and injurious physical assaults at the hands of intimate partners than do men.
• Slightly more than 11% of lesbians experienced rape, physical assault and/or stalking by a female cohabitant.
• Approximately 15% of gay men experienced rape, physical assault and/or stalking by a male cohabitant.
• Most intimate partner victimizations are not reported to the police

According to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence:
Domestic Violence is the leading cause of injury to women ages 15 – 44 in the United States – more than car accidents, muggings and rapes combined.
 1 in 4 women will become victims of domestic violence in their lifetime
 1 in 3 teenage girls will be physically assaulted by a boyfriend
 Domestic violence is the leading predictor of child abuse
 Boys who witness domestic violence in their homes are 1500 times more likely to perpetrate abuse later in life
 50% of girls growing up in an abusive home will go on to be victims of abuse themselves
2007 Relationship and Gender Breakdown of Adult domestic Violence Victims:
 56.5% (48) females killed by current or former intimate partners
 22.3% (19) males killed by others
 10.6% (8) males killed by current or former intimate partners
 9.2% (8) females killed by others
Additionally, Pennsylvania has the third highest number of murder suicides in the nation – including 14 cases in just six months. Seventy-three percent involved an intimate partner – spouse, common-law spouse, ex-spouse, or girlfriend/boyfriend. Of these, 94 percent were women killed by their intimate partners.

Recognizing Domestic Violence

There is not a “typical” victim of domestic violence – it can affect anyone from any socioeconomic, demographic, geographic or educational background. The greatest risk factor for victimization is simply being a woman.
Domestic violence occurs when one person in an intimate relationship exercises power and control over the other through a pattern of intentional behaviors, including psychological, emotional, physical and sexual abuse.
While most people are able to recognize an abusive relationship when it involves physical violence, relationships involving psychological or emotional abuse are more subtle, but no less destructive. If allowed to continue, these behaviors can escalate to include more physically dangerous abuse over time. It is important to recognize key characteristics of domestic violence so that abuse can be stopped before it becomes life threatening.

Are You Or Anyone You Know Being Abused?
The warning signs of domestic violence
There are frequently warning signs that domestic violence is happening in a relationship. If you have experienced or observed any of the following behaviors in a relationship, domestic violence could be happening and you might be able to take action to help yourself or others. Advocates at domestic violence programs are available to help callers determine what options are available.
Warning signs of domestic violence can include:
• One partner harms, or threatens to harm the other, their friends, family members, or pets
• One partner frequently checks up on the other (e.g. listening in on phone calls, constantly asking about whereabouts, calling a person at work or school, or monitoring a person´s car mileage, computer or phone usage)
• One partner puts the other down (e.g. name-calling, constant criticism, or public or private humiliation)
• One partner tries to control the other, (e.g. telling the person not to see certain friends or family members, keeping the person away from work or school, making the person stay home when she wants to go out)
• One partner acts jealous or possessive and says it´s a sign of love
• One partner destroys or threatens to destroy the other´s belongings
• One partner hurts or kills pets or threatens to harm them
• One partner touches the other in ways that hurts or scare the other partner
• One partner makes the other have sex in ways or at times that are uncomfortable
• One partner blames the other and other people for everything, and gets angry in a way that scares the other partner
• One partner says that the concerns of the other about the relationship are not real or not important
• One partner threatens or attempts suicide when the other talks about ending the relationship
• One partner withholds medication, food or other necessary items
• In a same sex relationship, one partner threatens to “out” the other
There is no excuse for domestic violence:
Drinking and drug use do not cause battering. Battering does not cause addiction. Chemical dependency and domestic violence are two separate problems; however, both problems can often co-exist within an abusive relationship. When this happens, both the severity of injuries and lethality rates may increase, making safety and sobriety both areas of concern. Un- or underemployment, stress or ill health, also do not cause domestic violence. These are only excuses or justifications for an abuser´s behavior.
Remember, anyone can be in a violent relationship. If you, or anyone you know is in a violent relationship, a local domestic violence program is available in every county in Pennsylvania or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE

“Girl in the Belgian Resistance: A Wakeful Eye in the Underground”
A Memoir by Fernande K. Davis

Kathryn Atwood
kjatwood1@comcast.net

Beach Lloyd Publishers

ISBN 978-0-9792778-7-0

Memoirs written against a particular historical backdrop can make that history come alive in clarifying and startling ways. “Girl in the Belgian Resistance” is a marvelous example. Fernande Keufgens was 16 years old when her native Belgium was invaded by Nazi Germany in May of 1940. Fernande’s father, a veteran of the first world war, was quite prescient: not only did he foresee the Nazi invasion of Belgium but he also assumed – correctly, as it turned out – that the Nazis would force occupation teenagers to work in German munitions factories.

Since the Keufgens lived in a village very close to the Belgian-German border, he sent Fernande to live and work at a private home in Andenne, a Belgian town further away from Germany, in January of 1940, months before the invasion.

Fernande traveled back to Montzen Gare after the invasion, desperate to learn how her family had fared but she eventually returned to Andenne. However, her father’s prediction – and Nazi occupation officials – finally caught up with her: she was ordered to report back to the Montzen Gare train station or her father would be arrested.

She appeared on the designated day and signed in at the train station in order to prevent her father’s imprisonment, but rather than work in a factory which kept the Nazi war machine supplied, she jumped the train and immediately joined a resistance group with whom she stayed and worked for the duration of the war.

Davis has a very concise writing style which simultaneously manages to include loads of near-cinematic details. For instance, she clearly depicts the angst involved in pre-invasion rumors in just a few clipped sentences: “People were nervous and fearful. Talk of war was everywhere. Would there be another war? Would German invade us again? Would our army be able to stop them?”

In the next paragraph she describes the invasion with equal clarity and concision: “Sirens screamed through the dawn of our peaceful Andenne. We ran out into the garden and street to stare up at the sky. We saw what we thought was a squadron of the Belgian Air Force approaching, only to be horrorstruck at the sight of swastikas on the tails of the planes.”

The book contains many photographs and not only includes Davis’s experiences but also that of her family back home, a choice that just occasionally causes a slightly confusing time-line. But this is a very minor problem: in the main“Girl in the Belgian Resistance” paints a very clear picture of one aspect of Nazi-occupied Belgium and is an excellent WWII-era memoir.

www.nwlc.org
National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) Analysis of New Census Data Shows Record Numbers of Women in Poverty, Without Health Insurance

Record numbers of women were living in poverty — and extreme poverty — according to an analysis of 2010 Census data by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). The poverty rate among women climbed to 14.5 percent in 2010 from 13.9 percent in 2009, the highest in 17 years. The extreme poverty rate among women climbed to 6.3 percent in 2010 from 5.9 percent in 2009, the highest rate ever recorded. Over 17 million women lived in poverty in 2010, including more than 7.5 million in extreme poverty, with an income below half of the federal poverty line.

In addition, the percentage of women under 65 without health insurance increased from 19.2 percent in 2009 to 19.7 percent in 2010, the highest rate recorded in more than a decade. The number of women younger than 65 without health care coverage increased to 19 million

by Tara Covelens, Regional Development Coordinator
www.pittsburghfoodbank.org

1 in 6. That’s the number of Americans who will struggle with hunger today.
The need in this country is tremendous – but so is the impact that YOU can have!

Did you know that September is Hunger Action Month? Join people throughout the
country in taking action against hunger during September. What can you do?

Visit www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/hungeractionmonth and www.hungeractionmonth.org
for more information, and to watch a Hunger Action Month commercial starring Matt Damon!
Check out our 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar and take action against hunger!
Today’s Way: Donate online!
Friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for up-to-date Hunger Action Month info!
Join our Virtual Paper Plate Campaign to let Senator Toomey know that food policy is
vital to keep Pennsylvanians healthy!
Tell a friend, family member, neighbor, or colleague about Hunger Action Month.
Encourage them to take action with you!

By Yvonne Phillips
YvonnePhillips1@aol.com
412-215-8247
www.Creativecolordesigninc.com
www.Fengshuipublications.com
www.Fengshuiabc1.com

Feng Shui expert Yvonne Phillips tells how attention to detail improves your dog’s life
For thousands of years, people have employed the principles of feng shui to ensure they live the happiest, healthiest lives possible. The ancient Chinese practice aims to generate positive chi—or energy flow—through the strategic placement of furniture and other objects in both homes and offices. But can feng shui improve the lives of pets, as well? Yvonne Phillips, one of America’s leading feng shui experts, says the answer is a resounding yes. Here, she explains.
How, exactly, do dogs fit into a home’s feng shui?
Pets bring an uplifting and loving life for force to the home environment. For an owner, simply having a pet is a feng shui cure in itself. It can significantly impact the quality of a person’s life and, as research has shown, improve health and happiness. Because pets can enhance the feng shui in any home, ensure you’re doing your part to provide an uplifting environment for them as treasured members of the family.

So you’re saying that just having a dog is a feng shui plus?
Caring for pets brings an increased sense of stability, grounding, and daily order. Along with the health benefits of taking dogs for walks or playing with them, they remind us to just be in a fast-paced world. The positive chi life force radiates off happy, well-cared-for pets, and their movement throughout the home helps to circulate that energy. Fang shui recognizes the symbology of animals—the reason many Chinese restaurants have aquariums is that fish represent success. Similarly, dogs symbolize protective energy and teach us unconditional love.

Can I use feng shui to make my dog happier and healthier?
Feng shui honors the interconnectedness of all things, so, much like a neglected plant or pile of clutter, a neglected pet affects the energy of the entire home. And just as your pet can uplift your home, you, in turn, can strengthen your pet by uplifting his surroundings. Animals are naturally drawn to the best energy in a room or a house, so you’ll see by watching them where the chi is already flowing. By replicating that energy throughout your space, you’ll enhance your pet’s overall health and happiness.

What is the first change to make?
The most important feng shui consideration is cleanliness. People need a clean home environment, and so do pets, which means their spaces should be fresh and sanitized. A pet should feel safe, secure, and comfortable in the areas where he eats or sleeps. Provide fresh water daily, and be sure soap residue is thoroughly washed from his bowls. For easy access, keep doorways and window sills clear of debris; you want to minimize the danger of your pet knocking anything over. Whenever possible, use eco-friendly products to ensure your pet’s safety and your own.

Do the colors we decorate with have any effect on our animals?
To create a sense of calm, choose a pet bed that blends with your color scheme, or one in a neutral shade, rather than something loud and busy. And try to select bowls and plates in yellows or reds. If you have a finicky eater, red can energize him, while yellow is known to evoke a happy mood.

Our
animals are
even more
sensitive than
we are to what’s
around them.

What’s the best place to set up an eating or sleeping area?
Choosing a quiet eating area for your pet—one that’s removed from noise and activity—allows him to eat more calmly. Eating and sleeping areas should be out of the traffic path of humans.

Does air flow affect the flow of energy?
Clean air is vital for good feng shui; avoid staleness and pet odors by letting as much fresh air as possible circulate throughout the house.

What about the lighting in your house?
Pets are attracted to natural light and warmth and will always gravitate toward sunny spots near windows. On cloudy days, salt lamps—large salt crystals with light bulbs inside—or candles simulate natural light and they purify the air by releasing negative ions that counteract emissions from computers, TVs, and other electronic devices.

Can clutter actually increase a dog’s anxiety?
If you remember that our animals are even more sensitive than we are to what’s around them, it’s easier to understand their feelings. When your dog is eating and drinking, that’s his most vulnerable time, and he’s extremely aware of his surroundings. If you’ve located his food and water in an area beside a big stack of boxes that should have been in storage, he’ll feel as though someone is watching him, or even feel a little afraid: Is that pile of boxes coming after me?

How do you make sure your dog doesn’t upset the balance of energy in the house?
I’ve been in homes where young families are trying their best to handle to handle it all. Mom and Dad are working, they have small children, and they want to have the pleasure of an animal’s company. But here’s what I see when I enter their home: The parents are hollering at the dog to keep him from jumping on me, and that makes the children upset. The whole home’s vibe becomes negative, creating a ripple effect that isn’t good for anyone, including the dog. It’s only when the dog is conditioned to live in harmony with his human family that the home will emanate completely positive energy. •

Listening to Women—Obama’s Jobs Proposal
By Ellen Bravo
www.womensmediacenter.com

Ellen Bravo is an activist and author. She serves as executive director of Family Values @ Work, a network of 15 state coalitions working for paid sick days and paid family leave (http://www.familyvaluesatwork.org/). The former director of 9to5, National Association of Working Women, her most recent book is Taking on the Big Boys, or Why Feminism is Good for Families, Business and the Nation. She is a WMC Progressive Women’s Voices alumna.

The jobs plan President Obama presented to Congress this week recognizes that out-of-work women need targeted help.

Darlene, a Milwaukee elementary school teacher, was one of hundreds laid off this summer because of the draconian cuts to education from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. She was also one of the women cheering about the latest jobs proposal from President Barack Obama, which he submitted to Congress on Monday this week.

“I was afraid he’d just talk about ‘shovel-ready’ jobs,” she said. “There aren’t many women at the other end of those shovels. But there are a lot of us who might get back to work if this proposal passes.”

The president’s plan would invest $30 billion to save jobs for up to 280,000 teachers. Given that women make up about 78 percent of teachers in this country, that’s a huge investment in women’s employment.

The American Jobs Act does include a lot of construction jobs, and—unlike the 2009 Recovery Act—$50 million in funds specifically geared towards job training for women, people of color and other under-represented groups in those jobs, targeting workers in the local areas where the jobs will be done. They would be trained for transportation-related activities, including construction, contract administration, inspection, and security. Another $10 million will help minority-owned and disadvantaged business enterprises gain better access to transportation contracts, in turn helping strengthen and grow small businesses that help drive local economies.

Jobs would also be created to fix the nation’s crumbling schools. The proposal calls for a robust $25 billion investment in school infrastructure that will modernize at least 35,000 public schools—that means creating jobs that have a direct tie to improved learning for our kids. Funds could be used for a broad range of purposes, including repair and renovation projects, greening and energy efficiency upgrades, asbestos abatement and removal, and modernization efforts to build new science and computer labs and to upgrade technology.

President Obama is also proposing $5 billion to modernize community colleges—another area with many female employees—and to rehabilitate homes.

Several other features of the proposed plan would benefit women:
•Extending into 2012 additional unemployment benefits. That could help 2.6 million American women currently receiving unemployment insurance from losing their benefits as they continue to look for work.
•Extending the payroll tax cut, putting more money into workers’ pockets.
•Supporting legislation prohibiting discrimination against the long-term unemployed.
•Expanding work-sharing to help avoid layoffs. This would save jobs by allowing workers who reduce their hours to receive unemployment benefits for that time, and all stay on the job.

As the Institute for Women’s Policy Research has pointed out, the so-called recovery hasn’t worked for most people, but men are going back to work “at about three times the speed of women….Since October of 2009 when men’s and women’s total jobs numbers were virtually equal, women have failed to gain any jobs, whereas men have gained 1.6 million. The gap between women’s and men’s employment in August is currently 1.6 million.”

The point isn’t to slow down recovery in areas that benefit men, but to pay attention to the gender and racial impact of the current disastrous economic situation, and target programs accordingly. This time around, the administration has done a better job of getting input from women’s groups, and listening to their recommendations.

Here’s what else women’s groups are saying that must be heard: women will suffer from any changes to Social Security or Medicare that delay the age of eligibility or otherwise make these programs harder to use.

Instead of cutting these programs that working women and middle class families rely on, Congress should focus on cutting tax breaks for those who earn more than $106,000, the current wage base on which Social Security taxes can be imposed. Those who can afford to do so should pay their fair share.

Likewise, we need to close corporate tax loopholes that let giants like General Electric get tax refunds, and axe the right-wing suggestion to cut the Earned Income Tax Credit, which helps the working poor climb out of poverty.

We also need job retention policies like paid sick days and paid family leave. Bad times are the worst time to lose a job for being a good mother. Policies that protect working women will help strengthen our families and help the economy grow.

President Obama knows what we all know—this Congress is not about to pass the majority of his jobs proposals. That makes it all the more important to name the policies we really need.

If Congress doesn’t follow the president’s call to pass the American Jobs Act, it’s the responsibility of all of us to hold them accountable in the 2012 elections.

www.msmagazine.com
http://www.delicious.com/hervotes

Top Ten Historic Advances for Women Now at Risk

1. Women’s Right to Vote (1920)
The 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920, guaranteed American women the right to vote, although many women of color did not win full voting rights until 45 years later under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Currently women surpass men both in the proportion and numbers of women who vote.

Threat:
Instead of advocating a 21st century voting system that is inclusive, conservative legislatures in 30 states are attempting to turn the clock back to the 19th century when only privileged white males were allowed to vote. Newly imposed ID requirements target students, people of color and women. As many as 32 million women of voting age do not have documentation with their current legal name.

2. Social Security Act (1935)
Social Security is the bedrock of older women’s financial security – virtually the only source of income for 3 in 10 women 65 and older – and a critical source of disability and life insurance protection throughout their lives.

Threat:
Bills introduced by conservative Members of Congress would gut the current Social Security program and disproportionately impact women’s economic security. The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction could propose benefit cuts, such as a reduction in the annual cost-of-living adjustment that would especially hurt women, or an increase in the retirement age.

3. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Taken together, these laws prohibit employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, including pregnancy, and national origin. The Equal Pay Act deals specifically with pay discrimination on the basis of sex. Title VII covers all employment actions, including hiring, promotion, pay, and termination, as well as all of the other terms and conditions of employment. Both have been central to expanding women’s economic opportunities and helping women achieve economic and retirement security.

Threat:
Recent rulings by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court have weakened employment discrimination laws, placing women’s rights in the workplace in jeopardy and actions by conservative Senators have undermined efforts to restore these acts and strengthen employment protections for women, including filibustering the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2010.

4. Medicare (1965)
Medicare is the nation’s health insurance program for seniors and younger adults with permanent disabilities. More than half (56%) of all Medicare beneficiaries are women.

Threat:
The conservative majority of the House of Representative passed a fiscal year 2012 budget bill that will effectively end Medicare and replace it for those now under 55 with a voucher to buy private insurance. It would increase out-of-pocket health care costs, limit benefits and severely restrict the choice of doctors.

5. Medicaid (1965)
Medicaid provides 19 million women access to vital health services at all stages of their lives. In 2007 nearly seven in ten elderly individuals who relied on Medicaid for assistance were women. Additionally, Medicaid covers millions of mothers and more than one-third of all children.

Threat:
Under the conservative House budget, Medicaid was targeted for deep budget cuts and converted into capped block grants to states. Medicaid still faces threats as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction deliberates and identifies at least an additional $1.2 trillion in budget cuts.

6. Title X, The National Family Planning Program (1970)
Title X is the only dedicated source of federal funding for family planning services in the United States. Title X provides family planning and other preventive health care to more than 5 million low-income and uninsured women who may otherwise lack access to health care.

Threat:
For the first time in history, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to completely defund Title X in 2011. Nine states have reduced family planning funding through legislative action and one (NJ) has eliminated it through the governor’s veto.

7. Title IX of the Education Amendments (1972)
Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded education programs or activities. Title IX greatly expanded equal access to college education, professional and graduate schools and dramatically increased equal access to sports opportunities so that today girls and women represent over 40% of all college and high school athletes. Title IX also plays a vital role in increasing gender equity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by improving the climate for women in those fields.

Threat:
A combination of administrative budget cuts, regulations, private school vouchers schemes, and pressure from congressional opponents threatens to weaken enforcement of Title IX.

8. Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision (1973)
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Roe v. Wade that a right to privacy under the 14th Amendment extended to a women’s decision to have an abortion.

Threat:
Anti-abortion Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would make all abortions illegal and essentially overturn Roe v. Wade. In 2011, over 1,000 pieces of legislation have been introduced and 162 bills have been passed at the state level to restrict access to abortion and/or family planning.

9. The Violence Against Women Act (1994)
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) created the first U.S. federal legislation acknowledging the severity of crimes related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and violence against women.

Threat:
VAWA will expire at the end of 2011 unless it is reauthorized. The law needs to be updated and strengthened, including the addition of provisions that will help protect students on campus who are consistently subject to sexual harassment, assault and violence. Despite this, no action has yet been taken to ensure VAWA is reauthorized.

10. The Affordable Care Act (2010)
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) covers maternity care, eliminates pre-existing conditions and prevents health plans from charging women more than men for the same coverage. ACA also covers well-woman preventive health services, such as an annual well-woman visit, contraceptives, mammograms, cancer screenings, prenatal care and counseling for domestic violence, as basic health care for women at no additional cost and includes the first federal ban on sex discrimination in health care programs and activities. Combined with other provisions, the ACA is an historic step forward for women’s health and economic security.

Threat:
The House of Representatives voted to repeal the ACA. Conservative senators, state legislators and governors have also pledged to repeal ACA and deny women, of all ages, critical preventive care service