My colleague, Sara, wrote last month about D.C.’s Universal Paid Leave Act, which would entitle workers to 16 weeks of paid leave for the birth of a child or another qualifying event. It’s a step in the right direction, but we’re still a long way from ensuring that working parents have all of the protections […]

Arbitration agreements are quickly becoming employers’ best and most common defense against class action lawsuits by their employees. As discussed in the recent New York Times article “Arbitration Everywhere, Stacking the Deck of Justice,” in addition to depriving employees of the opportunity to have their claims heard in court, arbitration agreements often waive employees’ right to […]

The most remarkable thing about the make-up of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet is the attention its gender equity has garnered. Trudeau’s appointment of women to 15 of 30 seats is blowing up my social media. His response as to why he did it has practically positioned him the new Feminist Ryan Gosling. But—as […]

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Month’s purpose, according to a recent Presidential Proclamation, is to refocus the public on “forg[ing] an America where no one suffers the hurt and hardship that domestic violence causes.” Prompted in part by this message, the public has once again turned its attention to the most publicized corporate […]

On September 1, a federal judge certified a class action brought by three Uber drivers who asserted that they are employees and not, as the company had argued, independent contractors.   If the court’s decision it holds, it could be a big deal.  This employee vs. contractor determination may sound like arcane law speak, but […]

Japan is not a country that has often been lauded for its gender rights records. Just nine years ago, the Japanese Minister of Health, Hakuo Yanagisawa, famously referred to women as “birth giving machines” in a statement about the country’s shrinking population. Yet despite the prevalence of such harmful opinions about gender roles, Japan recently […]

I have been psychologically conditioned by American culture to feel that open discussion about salaries is deeply uncomfortable, as if it involved baring your personal finances. I have earned money ever since I was 9 years old, working as a mommy’s helper for neighbors, to supplement my small weekly allowance. And I learned very early […]

It is a British superstition to repeat the word “rabbit” on the first day of each month when you awake in the morning.  Repeating this phrase brings the promise of good luck for the month.  I would like to say “rabbit rabbit” to October in the hopes that it will bring good luck and progress […]

When NPR’s Adam Cole interviewed two female NASA astronauts for his science Tumblr “Skunk Bear,” the most common question listeners submitted to be asked to these highly-accomplished women was “What happens when you get your period in space?”  Although Adam did not ask the question on air, he posted the answer online (the same thing […]

In the realm of American politics and culture, California is known for leading the way on a host of issues, from the environment to the tech boom. Now the Golden State is poised to launch one of the nation’s boldest attempts to fix pay inequality between men and women. The state’s proposed Fair Pay Act, which […]