Dear John,

Not quite 100 days into the Biden-Harris administration, the country is making major strides towards beating the pandemic and digging out of the economic hole it created. Since the start of the pandemic, millions of women have been pushed from the labor force by business closures or cutbacks, or they were driven to leave jobs or reduce their work hours when child care centers and schools closed, or lacking paid leave, when they or their family members became sick. Low-income women, and disproportionately women of color, were hit hardest.

The Spring issue of Ms.—in the mail now to member subscribers—features a 2021 update of the iconic illustration by artist Miriam Wosk on Ms.’ very first cover in 1972.  Titled, “The Housewife’s Moment of Truth,” the 1972 article was a wakeup call to housewives everywhere. But in 2021, we’re putting the onus where it belongs, on our government and our elected officials, asking “Do We Care? The Nation’s Moment of Truth.”

The good news, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan and the proposed American Jobs Plan will invest billions in the caregiving economy – shoring up child care centers and creating new and better jobs for workers providing home- and community-based care to the aging and people with disabilities.  As Katie Fleischer writes this week, the American Rescue Plan makes “the largest investment in child care since World War II. …  Mothers will benefit with the first-ever guaranteed income for families with children. This is not just relief; it’s progress.” And it appears Americans agree: according to the Invest in America/Data for Progress poll, more than 70% of respondents support investment in every aspect of the care economy.

In our series by Pat Mitchell, ‘Table for 12,” we celebrate Isabella Casillas Guzman, President Biden’s pick to lead the Small Business Administration (SBA), “an agency that has seen its profile grow enormously in response to the pandemic. … Guzman joins an economic team that includes Secretary Janet Yellen at the Treasury Department, Secretary Gina Raimondo at the Commerce Department, and Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Economic Council of Advisors, among others.”

Other Biden nominees are facing a tough and needlessly long road to confirmation, especially the women of color nominees. In particular, Vanita Gupta and Kristen Clarke—nominees for associate attorney general of the Department of Justice and assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division—have faced attacks for their work fighting for voting rights and for marginalized communities. Gupta, whose nomination was held up in Judiciary committee for weeks, will finally get a vote in the full Senate this coming week; it’s expected to be close. And Clarke’s hearing has finally been scheduled for this coming week. Ms. will be covering these critical nominations. 

Finally, it’s not just in politics that women face such challenges. This week, our podcast On the Issues with Michele Goodwin interviews renowned CNN anchor and HUDDLE author Brooke Baldwin. She discusses the struggle she faced getting women’s stories on the air, saying “… My bosses, my executives are men. The person who oversees CNN Dayside is a man, and my executive producer for 10 years is a man. … So, I have been surrounded by a lot of men … I know I, personally, fight for women’s stories.” This isn’t news, but it created a firestorm in right-wing media. Go figure!

For equality,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor