By Jennifer Naccarelli
The United States is alone among postindustrial economies — and, frankly, the rest of the world — when it comes to paid family leave. Not only does the U.S. stand virtually alone in not having any national policy that guarantees family leave, the average length of paid leave provided in other countries is 29 weeks, more than double the 12 weeks that Congress is considering.
Much like the gendered wage gap, a lack of family leave protections for women often leaves them dependent on men and, thus, vulnerable to abuse. Additionally, for many women, abuse begins or intensifies during pregnancies, and without the support of paid family leave, they may not have the funds to leave an abusive relationship.
While the statistics are shocking, activists across the nation are coming together to prevent gender-based violence, including those efforts taking place right here in Delaware. The state could be the 10th in the nation to offer paid family leave for all residents. In January 2022, state Sen. Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington, introduced the Healthy Delaware Families Act, a bill that would create a statewide and paid family and medical leave insurance program. Under this act, employees in Delaware could access up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave through the state’s paid leave trust. Sen. McBride has been quoted as saying the bill would “provide a simple and affordable solution to alleviate some commonly experienced financial pressures,” and “states (with similar programs) have higher worker morale and productivity, lower turnover costs and greater economic security for working families.”
The Healthy Delaware Families Act could provide lifesaving benefits to victims and survivors of abuse, since they wouldn’t have to choose between safety and financial security.
Jennifer Naccarelli is an associate professor of women’s and gender studies at UD and the department’s acting chair. She also is the co-director of UD’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence.
COVID caused slowdown in many reproductive services
By Angela Hattery
Though the historic, landmark 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade was heralded as a move forward for gender equality, opponents of Roe immediately began chipping away at it, such that today, many women live more than 500 miles from an abortion provider, and low-income women have even less access to abortion and other reproductive services.
During COVID-19, many hospitals and clinics limited those services and procedures deemed to be “voluntary,” and this included access to many reproductive services, including abortion, but also family planning; diagnostic ultrasounds to confirm both pregnancy but also miscarriage; amniocentesis to diagnose genetic abnormalities; and fertility services, such as in vitro fertilization.
Concurrent with COVID-19, current state-based legislation and cases before the Supreme Court highlight that reproductive choice is under fierce attack. The inability to control one’s reproductive body has long been considered one of the greatest sites of gender inequality, and thus, it leaves women vulnerable in their intimate relations, not only to abuse but, specifically, to coercive control and sexual violence.
While these statistics are shocking, activists across the nation are coming together to prevent gender-based violence, including those efforts taking place right here in Delaware.
Angela Hattery is a professor of women’s and gender studies at UD and the co-director of UD’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender-Based Violence.
Along with disparities came opportunities.
By Wendy Smith
While the pandemic exposed significant gender disparities, particularly as domestic demands still fell disproportionately to women, it also offered new opportunities.
Addressing the complex pandemic issues required leaders with increased capacities for collaboration, both/and thinking style, and empathy — all of which have been shown to be linked with more female styles of leading. Female leaders such as Angela Merkel (Germany) and Jacinda Ardern (New Zealand) aptly navigate the complexity of the crisis by integrating decisiveness with vulnerability, clarity with empathy.
Last year, the number of female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies hit an all-time high of 41 women (8%). While women continued to suffer in a number of domains, the pandemic demonstrated that female styles remained critical to navigating complexities and opened new paths for women leaders of the future.
Wendy Smith is a professor of business administration at UD.
