58% of single moms with children under the age of 5 live in poverty, right here in Iowa. 

 

We can do better than that, and we have to do better. 

 

On Mother's Day, moms everywhere will be celebrated for all their hard work. But moms deserve more than brunch and flowers.

What moms and their families really need is an end to pay and pregnancy discrimination and the right to take paid leave and paid sick days. Women make up nearly half of the workforce, and they are the primary or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of families. Quite simply: The wages of mothers and all women are essential to their families and our economic growth, but outdated policies mean that moms lose critical income.

That's why Progress Iowa is proud to participate in the #WhatMothersNeed campaign. We're calling on Iowans who love their moms to support legislation that would help support moms and their families get the support they need to succeed, such as:

• The Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1286/S. 631), which would guarantee up to seven paid sick days per year for workers to recover from their own illness or care for a sick family member.
• The Family And Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act) (H.R. 3712/ S. 1810), which would create a national paid leave insurance program to allow workers to care for a new child or a family member with a serious health condition, address their own serious health condition, or meet military caregiving needs.
• The Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 377/ S.84), which would update and strengthen the Equal Pay Act by closing loopholes and making the law more effective.
• The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1975/S. 942), which would help combat pregnancy discrimination and promote the health and economic security of pregnant women, their babies and their families.