Blog

Women's Fund of Rhode Island

What You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Rights

05-30-2022
Lizbeth Guzman
This month's featured author is Lizbeth Guzman. Lizbeth's piece is part of her senior project on women's right to reproductive autonomy. "I want to educate women, preferably youth. I would like to inform them on current reproductive laws, how to practice safe sex, and where to go for further resources." Lizbeth also included an anonymous survey in her post to see how much readers know about their reproductive rights. No personal information will be recorded and there are no wrong answers: https://forms.gle/Xm3sURtxahSh6DAK9
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Thoughts on Empathetic Leadership

05-02-2022
Mischa Downing
What makes a leader stand out in 2022?
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10 Actions to Break the Bias for Greater Gender Parity

03-11-2022
Cathy Nestrick
10 Actions to Break the Bias for Greater Gender Parity
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Inclusion in the Art World

02-17-2022
Shari Weinberger
Rhode Island is a fantastically rich environment for women, working with the art world AND creating art.
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COVID-19 Pandemic Elicits Decreased Involvement of Women in the Workforce

11-15-2021
Abigail Turano
COVID caused a she-cession, where women have left the workforce in droves and many may not return. This post offers some reasons why and solutions to helping women come back to the workforce.
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An Interview with Paula Hodges, Women's Policy Institute Facilitator

08-27-2021
Samantha Wilner
I spent the last eight weeks working at Women’s Fund of Rhode Island (WFRI), learning about the hard work it takes to run an incredibly successful nonprofit organization. It requires interpersonal skills, organizational skills, and a proactive attitude. It also requires a belief in the power of systems change, a belief that guides WFRI’s social justice work. Their Women’s Policy Institute is a perfect example of this commitment. This nine-month professional development and mentoring program helps women develop and advocate for policies that advance gender equity in Rhode Island. I was so inspired by this program that I sat down with one of its facilitators, Paula Hodges, to learn more about it’s day-to-day operations and goals.
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COVID-19’s Impact On How Women Seek Support For Mental Health

08-03-2021
Ella Mordarski
In the past year, many women and girls experienced changes in their mental health and seeking support due to COVID-19. Isolation, along with fear and loss, has caused an increase in stress and anxiety among women. Unable to cope with the ongoing changes alone, many women sought help for mental health issues. In early November, Kathryn Power, the director of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Healthcare, said that there had been a 15 to 20 percent increase in calls from all demographics coming into their triage center.
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The Importance of Volunteerism

05-20-2021
Imogene Johnson
My time as an intern at Women’s Fund of Rhode Island has been full of learning experiences. Above all, I’ve learned the power and importance of volunteers. Between studying political science and attending a historically women’s college, I have always been passionate about gender equity. I was so excited to apply this passion to the incredible work WFRI does, and my internship has been even more engaging and educational than I anticipated. What I did not know when I started, though, is just how many and just how passionate Rhode Islanders are about gender equity too.
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Industries with the Worst Gender Pay Gaps

04-16-2021
Kylie Lynn
In today’s modern world, American women still contend with substantial gender pay gaps. Rhode Island Women’s Well-Being Index reveals that women make up 64% of the workforce in the lowest-paying jobs in Rhode Island alone. These gaps aren’t exclusive to just the state – female employees across America suffer lifetime wage losses, and the disparities are even more significant in women of color: White women have around $451,300 of lifetime wage loss, Asian women around $607,100, Black women around $997,000, and Latina women around $1,213,700. It’s imperative that all women get equity in the workplace, primarily since 70% of American households with children rely on the woman’s income. What's more, women bear most of the responsibility of home maintenance and caregiving at home – all while holding jobs. As such, they should be valued as capable professionals.
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R.I. Bill 249

04-09-2021
Caylin Luebeck
Content Warning: Rape. On March 26th, 2021, a new bill was introduced in the Rhode Island State Legislative. Bill 249 would create the “criteria for the criminal offense of sexual assault when the victim is in the custody of a peace officer.” This begs several questions: how often are these so-called peace officers sexually assaulting those in custody? Is this a widespread issue that has gone unnoticed? And who is a peace officer?
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An Uphill Climb

04-06-2021
Carol Smith
It’s no secret that girls and young women face more of an uphill climb compared to their male counterparts, particularly with speaking up and being heard.  And everyone suffers a psychological toll when they feel silenced, but especially children.  They are still learning and shaping their world.  Behaviors are internalized and patterns are established.  That’s why it’s so important to make sure that girls and young women know that they have the right to be heard.  Even if the very people in her life, intentionally or unintentionally, communicate to her that it’s not so.  After all, those same oppressive, societal patterns were present when their mothers or female role models were growing up.
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Choose to Challenge this International Women’s Day

03-01-2021
Cathy Nestrick
The world will celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2021, by choosing to challenge for a more gender-equal world. Women have had the right to vote for 100 years, but according to the World Economic Forum, we will not achieve workplace parity for another 100 years. Waiting 100 years for fairness and an equal playing field is not an acceptable solution. Together, we can and should choose to challenge as we strive towards workplace parity.
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Steps Women Can Take If They Are a Victim of Sexual Harassment In the Workplace

02-24-2021
Cendy Moliere
Sexual harassment and other discrimination based on race, sex, national origin, or religion are crimes. Title VII in the Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination, including harassment, based on those attributes in every state. But even though sexual harassment and discrimination are illegal, they still happen. If you have experienced sexual harassment at your workplace, you can file a complaint with your state labor board, and you can also file a Federal Complaint with the EEOC.
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Women of Color and the Fight for Economic Equity

02-08-2021
Aysia Morton
"Difficult" doesn't begin to sum up the years 2020 and 2021— it's the black mirror season that doesn't seem to end. Covid-19, especially, has devastated every border, and no one, creed or color, has been able to escape it. Though suffering has been universal, this pandemic has not been equitable—women, especially women of color, have suffered most. The virus disproportionately claims their lives, and economic hardship, already imposed by systemic inequalities and structural racism, has increased during the pandemic. Black families, mainly led by women, have reported severe financial troubles.
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Appoint a Woman to Lt. Governor

01-28-2021
Kelly Nevins, CEO of Women's Fund of Rhode Island
Were Lt. Governor McKee to ask for our recommendation for his replacement, we would tell him to ensure that a qualified woman and/or person of color be selected. Our goal should always be to achieve gender and racial equity for all elected and appointed positions within our state.
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VP Kamala Harris- Change agent?

01-11-2021
Hannah Baker
“What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful, and your voice matters. You’re going to walk into many rooms in your life and career where you may be the only one who looks like you or who has had the experiences you’ve had. But you remember that when you are in those rooms, you are not alone. We are all in that room with you applauding you on. Cheering your voice. And just so proud of you. So you use that voice and be strong.” -Kamala Harris
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We must advocate for intersectional policy change in Rhode Island

01-04-2021
Brynn McGlinchey
I first learned about the work of Women’s Fund of Rhode Island last spring while reading an article about their work advocating in favor of Senate bill S2183, which would have required many public schools to provide free feminine hygiene products in bathrooms. As a public health major with a strong interest in women’s health and public policy, I was drawn immediately to WFRI’s mission of working towards gender equity through systemic change. During my internship over the past seven months, I have learned so much about the importance of intersectionality when advocating for gender equity, especially within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The Time to Lead is NOW!

11-05-2020
Victoria Picinich, Nanako Tamaru, and Paula Hodges
As I write this, votes are still being counted throughout the country in the 2020 election. While we may not know the official outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election for days or maybe weeks…one thing is certain: the voters of Rhode Island have spoken and they want a change. The Speaker of the House was defeated by a Republican challenger, which has left a power vacuum in the General Assembly. 
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Women of Many Hats

10-21-2020
Yasemin Eti
She is a full-time tutor, proctor, curriculum developer, headmistress, meal planner, cook, and mother. And she is my classmate.
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Can We Afford to Lose Women in Our Economy?

10-19-2020
Kelly Nevins
In March, I wrote about how COVID-19 is a gender and equity issue; pundits have coined the term "she-cession" about the disproportionate gender impact. Recently, McKinsey and Company updated their annual Women in the Workplace study and found that one in four women are considering downshifting their career or leaving the workforce altogether. This number increases to one in three if they are mothers. Women of color are more deeply impacted. In Rhode Island, 25,000 women have left the workforce. Can we afford to lose even more?
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Justice for Breonna Taylor

09-25-2020
Kelly Nevins
Today, our hearts are with Breonna Taylor's grief-stricken family and her community. Once again, Black Americans have been let down by our justice system. Too often, stereotypes, biases, and racial oppression are embedded in our laws and public policies, and women of color suffer most from these inequities, and all women suffer as a result. Not only does this have a devastating impact on women's lives, but it also hurts families, communities, future generations, and our entire economy. 
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May her memory be a revolution

09-21-2020
Emily Sack
When I heard the news last night of Justice Ginsburg’s passing, I immediately thought of you, my colleagues at the Women’s Fund. I am writing to share with you how devastated I am by the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was exceptional in so many ways, but for me, it is her fight for equal justice, and in particular, for the rights of women under the law, that is her enduring legacy. She was a role model for me, as she was to countless other women and men, and she changed my life, though she didn't know it.
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Male Allyship

08-18-2020
Brynn McGlinchey
“And so, what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man.” -Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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What is "Professional"?

08-03-2020
Emma Goldberg via NY Times
When Dr. Christle Nwora, 26, was applying for her medical residency — the hands-on training that immediately follows medical school — she knew that every facet of her education would be subject to scrutiny like her grades and her performance on rotations. But she also worried that parts of her identity and appearance beyond her control would be judged, too.
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RI Works: Are We Doing Enough for Families?

07-06-2020
Michelle Mooney
Close your eyes and let me paint an image for you: It’s dinner time. You have two children at home and you are making pasta or mac & cheese for the third or fourth time this week. Your landlord has just knocked on the door asking you for the rest of your rent which you don’t have, and you also need to put gas in your car to go to an interview. You just cannot dig yourself of this hole. This interview could be the start of it, but bills are piling up, rent is constantly weighing on you, but you just don’t know what you are going to do.
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The RI General Assembly Must Prioritize Childcare Providers in Its COVID-19 Response

07-06-2020
Alyson E. Panzarella, M.J.
The RI General Assembly is bound to convene at some point as we reopen Rhode Island, and among their top priorities should be the Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act (H 7271, S 2462, S 2630). This bill will establish a collaboration between the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the RI Department of Education (RIDE) to determine a target wage scale for early childhood educators and develop strategies for implementation. The goal will be to create a path to fair wages with the assistance of public funds.
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Black Lives Matter: Is There Really Safety for Refugees in America?

06-22-2020
Aline Bingyungu
It is time to dismantle acts of racism, discrimination, and police brutalities that have been perpetrated against communities of black and brown for so long in our country. It is incumbent upon us to act accordingly and identify ways that we can help to put an end, once and for all, to the issues that have plagued our community for generations.
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Understanding and Cultivating Understanding: White Privilege

06-08-2020
Anna Zoodsma
“If you don't have to think about it, it is probably a privilege you have.” White privilege has been overlooked for centuries as individuals have functioned, incognizant of the benefits of their positions of power, in a world designed to benefit them. As recent events have unfolded, the realities of life without white privilege have become blatantly obvious. Though racial privilege is manifested in so many ways, it remains a topic I don't fully understand and that I know those around me do not either. This can make it difficult to find the “right way” to communicate about it. But in order to care about and have a passion for making the world a more equitable place, a basic level of understanding is a prerequisite. A lack of understanding is not an excuse for inaction when it comes to demanding that all human rights be respected.
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Statement of Solidarity & Condemnation of Police Brutality

06-03-2020
Women's Funding Network
As women's funds, foundations, and gender justice funders, we cannot erase the image of Mr. Floyd calling for his mother. We understand that the outcomes of state violence are woven deeply into Black women's experience. There is no gender justice without racial justice.
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Nature vs. Nurture: The Social Work Story

05-15-2020
Anna Zoodsma
According to the Bureau of Labor, 83% of people working in the field of social work are women. Additionally, the field is often described as a “female majority, male-dominated” occupation due to the distribution of power among most social workers. That is staggering! As someone who has spent time working with at-risk teens in a wilderness setting and with their families in their homes, this gender stratification has been my experience as well. I and the majority of my colleagues are female, though all members of the board of directors that I work with are male.
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Why I No Longer Call Myself an Ally

04-30-2020
Stephanie Huckel
The definition of “ally” has shifted a bit for me in the past decade. The word itself still means the same thing — a person who supports a community of which they do not personally identify. My view of who has the authority to use the word and how it is used has shifted. I used to view “ally” as a personal identity. To be a good ally, I kept listening and watching those I wanted to support. As a queer person, I listen to and watch the actions of those who call themselves allies to my community and me. Things didn’t always line up as neatly as I would have liked.
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Domestic and Sexual Violence Advocacy: Lessons Learned from COVID-19

04-13-2020
Vanessa Volz
Before COVID-19, rates of domestic and sexual violence were distressingly high, and after this era comes to a close, incidents will still occur at alarming rates.
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What if we invested to elect the next 1,500 Elizabeth Warrens?

03-06-2020
Women's Fund of Rhode Island
I had seen just a glimpse of the battlefield ahead and couldn’t have cared less about his ideas, mainly because he wasn’t looking for feedback. 
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Art and Social Change

02-28-2020
Mara Tractenberg
Art can be a tool to challenge dominant ideas about social and political issues. Art that addresses social justice issues has changed the thoughts, ideas, preconceptions, and beliefs of the people who are viewing it, which in turn can cause pollical and social change.
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The Doula Bill in Rhode Island

01-29-2020
Daniella Habib
The first time I heard of a doula was my first week as an intern at WFRI. I attended an event celebrating the passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act in Rhode Island. While everyone was incredibly proud that the RPA had passed, many felt disappointed that Bill H5609 did not. Known as the Doula Bill, it would have allowed care by a doula to be covered by Medicaid. I didn’t recognize how instrumental doulas are in the lives of pregnant women until I read Dr. Ayana Moore’s story in the Washington Post. In February 2019, Dr. Moore spoke to the newspaper and discussed her first delivery by Cesarean section, describing it as “extremely traumatic” when her doctor refused to listen to her when she said she could feel pain during the procedure. For her second pregnancy, Dr. Moore hired a doula.
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Implicit Bias in the Workplace

09-24-2019
Farah Faye
The day I experienced the most extreme case of bias in my career was supposed to be a typical day. I was giving a presentation to a group of middle-aged investors, some of whom I had known from previous business experiences. They were all men, but I was used to that. In Fintech (financial technology), you're always presenting to a group of men.
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New Grants Promote Maternal and Financial Power for Women

09-17-2019
Tim Lehnert
The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island (WFRI) recently announced $50,000 in grant funding to five organizations. WFRI was launched in 2001, and since then its WFRI Grant Program has awarded more than $700,000 to Rhode Island organizations and programs empowering women and girls. In the most recent cycle of funding, prospective grantees were asked to focus on one or more of WFRI’s 2019 advocacy priorities, which include disparities for Women of Color, economic justice and reproductive health and freedom.
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August 26 is Women's Equity Day

08-22-2019
Kelly Nevins
Monday, August 26 is Women's Equality Day, commemorating the passage of the 19th Amendment. A century ago, women in this country were not allowed to vote, yet many Americans take that right for granted today. One out of three eligible women fails to exercise her right (CAWP, 2019).
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Women in RI: Women's Policy Institute

08-05-2019
Paula Hodges
My work in the common good and political advocacy sectors are defined by the women who brought me up in the world. My impatience stems from seeing the slow pace of change for gender norms in the home where I grew up. My career was unfathomable as a naive Missouri farm girl. Then I met Mindy. She was a pay-it-forward manager and chief of staff who hired me as an intern and wouldn't let me go. She coached and navigated me around every career pivot and barrier. Networks are a constellation of mentors, pipelines, alma maters - professional and personal associations. Often these networks are implicit. They expand the obstacles that divide those who were born into the norms of public service and those of us who stumble upon public service after strife and righteous indignation call us to change the world.
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New Wave of Women Leading the Way: Continued Progress in America’s Board Rooms

07-30-2019
Emily Pera
As a woman in corporate America, I’ve been both personally and professionally invested in the question of female representation in board rooms. The level of dialogue on this critical issue has never been higher.  However, has there been enough action taken? Where are we on the journey from awareness to diagnosis to formulation to action to a resolution?
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Why Fair/Equal Pay Mandates Are Necessary

07-09-2019
Kelly Nevins
The USA World Cup win has put the need for fair pay policies back into discussion. Of course, the usual arguments against this concept are also in play, with the idea that pay differentials are tied to differing commercial values between men’s and women’s sports and that there are different pay structures for performing different work. It remains to be seen whether the U.S. Women’s National Team will be successful in their gender discrimination suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation.
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Fighting Not Just For Rights, But Also for Justice

06-13-2019
Reverend DL Helfer minister of UUCSC
We’ve all witnessed it – state after state restricts access to birth control and abortion, and undermine other hard-won and rightful reproductive freedoms. Much of the South and some Midwestern states are implementing draconian policies without consideration for the impact on women’s health or self-determination. A few, mostly coastal or traditionally more progressive states, are opting instead to legislate proactively to protect these rights. Here in Rhode Island, we're fighting hard to enshrine the current level of access to abortion, one already not sufficiently inclusive.
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Time to Pass Fair Pay Act in RI

04-02-2019
Kelly Nevins Executive Director Women's Fund of Rhode Island
April 2 is “Equal Pay Day” and represents how far into the year U.S. women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. It’s important to note that the date differs when we segment by ethnicity. Black women’s equal pay day is August 22 and for Latina women, it is Nov. 20.Studies done by the Association of American University Women and the National Bureau of Economic Research, while recognizing that some of the wage gap is due to occupational segregation and family care choices, also
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Moving Women from the End of the Chapter The Continuing Challenges of Womens History

03-18-2019
Emily J Sack WFRI Board Member
Moving Women from the End of the Chapter: The Continuing Challenges of Women’s History Emily J. Sack -- WFRI Board MemberAs a history graduate student in the early 1980s, I met with an archivist at the French National Archives to discuss my proposed research project, which related to women during the French Revolution. The archivist regretfully explained to me that in the archival cataloguing system for that time period, there was no entry for women. In order to find materials on my subject, I
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MeToo and Sexual Harassment

03-11-2019
Kathleen Rose
When the #MeToo movement exploded last year, I think nearly every woman could think of their own personal #MeToo story to share, big or small. Recently, I listened to an episode of the On Being podcast where Krista Tipett interviewed Rebecca Traister and Avi Klein about the #MeToo movement through a solutions lens (https://onbeing.org/programs/rebecca-traister-and-avi-klein-metoo-through-a-solutions-lens-dec2018/).A few things that stood out to me while I was listening were the fact that the
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Women Should Not Be the Presidents Political Pawns

02-11-2019
Jordan Hevenor CoDirector of The Womxn Project
I will be honest. I pondered whether I would watch the “State of the Union”. I knew I would cringe at the hateful rhetoric about immigrant communities and roll my eyes at claims that the current administration’s policies are making our country great in spite of the fact that they have pushed policies to deny health coverage for reproductive health care, roll back protections for transgender people, and block the availability of federal funds for family planning providers. But feeling the need to
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My Choice for GivingTuesday Supporting local women through the Womens Fund of Rhode Island

11-20-2018
Christina Castle WFRI Board Member
Many of us, especially women, are still “riding the high” of the recent midterm election, in which women candidates showed up like never before to run for governor, U.S. House seats, and U.S. Senate seats. We also saw some individual victories – like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, youngest woman elected to Congress, who many of us have been watching intently since she first made a splash on the national stage.Rhode Island saw victories for women, and progress toward equality, too. Women increased
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Domestic Violence Awareness An Interview with Emily Sack

11-14-2018
Krystal Sarcone Volunteer
Like many noble causes, we often designate an annual day or month of observation for national attention and awareness, and October was National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Symbolized by the purple ribbon, last month’s opportunity to reflect on the impact of domestic violence in our community and state is nothing to take lightly as more than 20,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines across the nation on a daily basis (2013 census data presented by National Coalition
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The Evolution of Feminism Within Pop Culture in America

11-14-2018
Lauren Tutuny WFRI Volunteer
The word “feminism” has worn the hat of many titles and tones, from heavy to light, from positive to negative, clichéd and slightly misunderstood. Before people even truly understood what the word meant, which today rightfully stands for equitable human rights for all people; the lack of knowledge within American pop culture has influenced people’s real life perceptions of feminism. Arguably, this has defined what “the American dream” has been over the years, first being seen on the television
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Electoral Feminism What is it

10-25-2018
Krystal Sarcone Volunteer
When originally prompted to work on a piece around “electoral feminism,” I thought surely I was just out of the lingo loop and that I must know what the phrase meant…I mean it’s right there, those two words are self-explanatory, right? But of the 4,050,000 Google search results that take 0.32 seconds to populate when looking for the term “electoral feminism” not a single link on the entire first page finds this exact phrase. Instead, the highlights include electoral and feminist geography,
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Intersectionality the Nineteenth Amendment

08-30-2018
Alex Skidmore Policy amp Advocacy Committee Volunteer
There is a long history of female political activism in the United States, from earning the right to vote to running for political office. The anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment offers the opportunity to acknowledge that history and at the same time, to fight for an equitable and inclusive women’s political movement.Women have voted at higher percentage than men have in every presidential election since 1980, according to a Rutgers University study. And this trend exists even though women
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What I learned interning at WFRI

08-09-2018
Casey Regan
Casey Regan spent her 2018 summer off from Bryant University with us at the Women's Fund of Rhode Island (WFRI). She wrote about what she learned here:Women say sorry too much. Myself included.From the time I was a kid until now, I’ve been saying sorry. Not just when I forget to load the dishwasher at home before my mom comes home from work, or when I cut someone off Route 295 on my way to college every morning. I’ve been saying sorry for everything - and I mean everything. Everything includes
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Aug 7 Equal Pay Day for Black Women

08-06-2018
Alex Skidmore Policy amp Advocacy Committee Volunteer
Equal Pay Day is typically recognized in April as symbolizing how far into the following year women must work to catch up to what men make in a year. Though this day serves as an important reminder of the persistent gendered wage gap, the date ignores the even harsher pay disparity Black women face. While women overall earn 79 cents per male dollar, Black women make – their equal pay day falls on August 7, over three months after the April date. For Latina and Asian women, the disparities can be
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For Our Rights

04-09-2018
Cathy Plourde Writer Publisher amp Activist
Every day, the endless news cycle gives us a few more things to be against. It’s exhausting. So let’s talk about what might happen if we did more to support what we’re for.It’s time to join the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island (WFRI) in supporting the work of the RI Senators Goldin, Sosnowski, Miller, Calkin, and Nesselbush who’ve introduced S:274, Relating to Health & Safety- Reproductive Health Care Act. They’ve given me, and gave all of Rhode Island, something to stand up for.WFRI’s work focuses
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Gender Equity in Sports Then and Now

04-02-2018
Kieu Anh Nguyen
When Title IX was passed in 1972, American educational institutions were required to recognize that women have the right to participate in sports on an equal plane with men. In the past 46 years, women in sports have proven time and time again that tenacity, passion, excellence, and the drive to overcome physical and social limitations know no gender.However, there are still battles to be won in the fight for gender equity in sports. Sexual objectification and harassment, unequal media coverage,
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Ill Take The Whole Dollar Please

03-10-2018
Christina Castle
A millennial woman’s view of the widening gender pay gapIn 1869, a woman working as a government employee in Washington, D.C. wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times. By lodging a complaint that her male colleagues were paid double her $900 salary for the same work, she set off a discussion that continues even now. In the nearly 150 years since her letter, protests, legislation, pledges, non-profit work, advocacy, and much more have been attempted to address the gender wage gap. But
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Engaging Men As Allies

02-26-2018
Galen Auer WFRI Volunteer
In the cultural climate of #MeToo and #TimesUp, an event hosted by the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island titled Cocktails and Conversations: Feminism is a Male Issue might justifiably raise a few eyebrows. It’s a topic that’s become a favorite quip of late-night comedians -- that men don’t know what they’re even allowed to say to women nowadays, for fear of being accused of sexual harassment.Beneath the stale one-liners, however, lies a legitimate dilemma: How do we engage men as allies against
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MeTooTimesUp

01-18-2018
Kelly Nevins Executive Director Women39s Fund of Rhode Island
We’ve been hearing a lot about sexual harassment in the news lately. Powerful people, mainly white men, have been forcibly removed from their positions. The community at large is engaged in a conversation about how often harassment actually takes place, whether the level of harassment should result in being fired or removed from power and what this says about women’s place in our community overall.We’ve been here before. The passage of Title VII in 1964 prohibited sex discrimination in the
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Why Stand for Reproductive Healthcare

11-30-2017
Alex Skidmore Policy amp Advocacy Committee Volunteer
We’ve been hearing a lot about sexual harassment in the news lately. Powerful people, mainly white men, have been forcibly removed from their positions. The community at large is engaged in a conversation about how often harassment actually takes place, whether the level of harassment should result in being fired or removed from power and what this says about women’s place in our community overall.We’ve been here before. The passage of Title VII in 1964 prohibited sex discrimination in the
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Making Meaning on MLK Day

01-18-2016
Emily Mercurio
Sometimes, the government gives us little freebies, like national parks, public art, and federal holidays off work. Today many of us will get to enjoy the luxury of a long weekend on behalf of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the holiday which bears his name. Tempting as it may be to spend this free time relaxing or taking care of projects around the house, we as Americans are given this time so that we can honor Dr. King’s legacy in a meaningful way. His life was spent fighting to bring justice
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Unionization for Hotel Workers

11-10-2015
Jenn Steinfeld Executive Director
At the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, we believe that greater racial and gender equality is good for our families, our community, and our economy. In fact, much of our work lately is focused on improving jobs, pay and working conditions for employees in the service sector, which has a huge impact on women’s economic security. Gender segregation in employment and wage discrimination are pronounced in these jobs; for example, U.S. Department of Labor statistics tell us that 88 percent of maids and
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Fighting Hunger in Baltimore

10-25-2015
Gretchen Bell Womens Policy Institute Class of 16
Participating in direct service work was an integral part of my college experience and as I look back, my professional career has been a consequence of one event in particular. One of the many service opportunities offered at my school, Loyola University, was a program called Care-A-Van. The program encouraged students to visit a homeless encampment in downtown Baltimore once a week bringing much needed food assistance along with the often overlooked benefits of conversation and companionship.
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Voting Beyond the Gender Binary

10-13-2015
Katharine Murphy
Election season is near—time to prepare to hit the polls and participate in the nationwide event the United States has been talking about for decades now. Suffrage in this country, as we are taught from young ages, is more than an individual endeavor solely undertaken by people interested in politics; suffrage is an integral element to democratic principles of government, giving civil society the power to choose who we want making political decisions that frame our lives. However, as we also are
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A Womans Place is in Office

08-26-2015
Jenn Steinfeld
Women have been able to cast their vote and voice their opinion in elections for nearly a century; it took almost that long to make this right a reality. Activists and reformers fought for women’s suffrage for nearly 100 years, overcoming many pitfalls and disagreements that threatened to destroy the movement. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified on August 26, 1920, enfranchising all American women and recognizing that they, being created equal, should be given a fair say
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Womens Equality Womens Autonomy

08-24-2015
Katharine Murphy
What feels like a long, but really quite short, 95 years ago, women in the United States acquired the right to vote. Following an immeasurable amount of effort put forth by women and men in favor of voting equality, women’s suffrage was scribed into our Constitution on August 26,1920. Critically speaking, voting access was not granted to every citizen simply because women’s suffrage made voting gender-inclusive. Initially the new ruling benefited only upper-class white women. It wasn’t until
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My Time as a Womens Fund Intern

08-11-2015
Gianna Jasinski
Structural and cultural barriers continue to hold women back today. Women have made great strides in the workforce, but inequality persists. A gender gap in access to opportunities and decision-making power between women and men still exists. . Specifically, in Rhode Island, 56% of minimum wage workers are women. 71% of families with children living in poverty are headed by women, 10% are headed by men, and 19% are headed by married couples. This wage gap has a significant impact on all women,
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The Surprising Truth About the Wage Gap

08-04-2015
Emily Rosello Mercurio
The gendered wage gap has, in recent years, become something of a feminist buzzword. People are talking about it every time they talk about equality; you’ll find the phrase on the first page of every Women’s Studies 101 syllabus, in every internet think piece about “Why I Need Feminism”, and on the lips of every celebrity making safe forays into public activism. I likely do not need to repeat here the statistic that women make $0.78 for every one dollar made by a man. At this point, everybody
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LoveWins The long road behind us and the long road ahead

06-26-2015
Jenn Steinfeld
Today's Supreme Court decision is an amazing leap forward in a movement that has been both agonizingly slow and lightning quick. The Women’s Fund has long recognized the very real linkages between misogyny, homophobia and transphobia. Back in 2003, when I helped to found Rhode Island’s Campaign for Marriage Equality, the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island was one of the first groups to stand with us. It took more than a decade, but in 2013 I was proud to be on the steps of the Rhode Island State House
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More Than Maternity Leave TCI and the Changing Face of Fatherhood

06-19-2015
Emily Rosello Mercurio
Last week I walked into my job at a local sandwich shop to find all my coworkers gathered in the kitchen, passing around somebody’s phone and talking excitedly amongst themselves. Two of our coworkers had been expecting a baby together, and the child had finally been born that morning. Of course, everybody wanted to see the pictures they had sent. When I finally got hold of the phone, I couldn’t help but smile. The new parents seemed so overjoyed (albeit exhausted) to be holding their son after
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Hillary Clinton Trailblazer

05-08-2015
Farah Faye
Fifty-five years ago, Sirivamo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka became the first woman elected president in the world. It’s a startling fact – one that is younger than my own grandparents. It wasn’t until they were my age that a woman was ever elected president. But even in their seventies, they have never seen a woman elected president in their own country. That is, unless Hillary Clinton surprises us all and wins the 2016 presidential election. It’s hard for me to come to terms with the
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Equitable Policies for Working Moms tobe

05-05-2015
Womens Fund
“Is there going to be a place for me to pump?!” After receiving multiple emails along these lines from Lady Project Summit participants, I was determined to find a way to provide accommodations for nursing and expecting mothers at this year’s conference,held this past weekend (April 18) in downtown Providence. This year’s conference sold out quickly, drawing more than 270 diverse young women from across the nation for a full day of speakers, workshops, and networking. Many of our participants
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The Long View on Girls Coding

04-11-2015
Nancy Austin
"Girls Coding" is a great rallying cry as we push to prepare more tech-savvy women to fully engage the opportunities and challenges of the digital frontier. But let's not lose sight of the talent team we actually need to be mentoring as we collectively face this revolutionary moment of global technological change. The campaign to educate more female coders might still be a less effective generational return on investment (ROI) than thinking innovatively about how to create more effective teams
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Fighting for a Cause at a Cost

04-06-2015
Molly Savard
I’m driving behind an SUV when I notice three stickers plastered to its bumper. The first reads “NRA: STAND AND FIGHT;” the second is the Gadsden flag screaming “DON’T TREAD ON ME.” And the third? The Human Rights Campaign equal sign. I laugh because of how absurdly incongruous they seem together. Then I think, well, maybe he’s the well-meaning, gun-loving, Fox News-watching kind who probably believes marriage is between a man and a woman except when it comes to his gay nephew. Seemingly
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No April Fools Joke Political Inequity in Rhode Island and Beyond

04-02-2015
Bethany Imondi
2014 was a milestone year for the women of Rhode Island. In November, state voters made history when they elected Gina Raimondo governor. While the election of the Ocean State’s first female governor is notable, other inequities women wish were just bad April Fool’s jokes remain ingrained in our political system. While we’ve seen small but steady gains in women’s national political representation, progress among state leadership is meager. Prior to Raimondo’s election, only 35 women had ever
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Universities and Sexual Assault Life After Rolling Stone

03-26-2015
Farah Faye
During my sophomore year of college, I pledged a sorority. My friends and family were surprised by my decision - I was never the “sorority type.” But this sorority prided itself on its no-hazing policy. This meant I would not have to deal with the excessive hazing rituals implemented by other Greek letter organizations: like the sorority that forced pledges to stand naked while fraternity boys circled their “impaired” body parts with sharpie markers, or the one that made pledges do
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House Finance Committee Threatens Access to TCI

03-18-2015
Jenn Steinfeld
My name is Jenn Steinfeld and I am the Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island. The Women's Fund works every day to end gender bias and inequality in our state. We advocate for policy changes that create an equitable Rhode Island and promote women’s economic security. A critical aspect of leveling the playing field for women in the workforce is increased access to paid leave. In 2013, the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and our Women’s Policy Institute fellows were instrumental in
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Intersectionality and Inclusion at the 2015 Oscars

03-17-2015
Alexandra Curran
In her acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Academy Awards, Patricia Arquette championed women’s rights. “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America,” the Boyhood actress proclaimed. The crowd roared and feminists everywhere looked a lot like Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez, pumping our fists and nodding vigorously. It was an instant iconic feminist moment, the kind of moment that could reinvigorate the
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Je Suis Michael Brown Why Words Matter

02-03-2015
Molly Savard
I had a conversation with someone recently in which I was told I invested too much in language. We were talking about racism. My companion argued that white people can experience racism, while I argued that, by definition, racism is inapplicable to white people. I said white people can experience discrimination, but not racism. She pooh-poohed me and said, “That’s semantics. It’s all hatred.” In the moment, I didn’t know how to respond. How do you come back when your sparring partner invalidates
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What happens after

11-17-2014
Nancy Austin
What happens after that dreaded knock on the door? A new film by Rhode Island independent film maker, Mitty Griffis Mirrer, brings us into the world of the thousands of American children whose lives are forever changed after their family receives word that a parent has been killed in combat or died while on active duty service. What happens after? The subject of Mrs. Mirrer's new documentary is this world of the Gold Star children, as they are now referred to, and their oyster-like adaptations
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Notable dates for women in November

11-11-2014
Molly Savard
You probably know today is Veterans Day, honoring the people who sacrifice their health and lives on our behalf in the struggle for a more peaceful world. You might not know, however, that November is chock-full of important historical dates for women, and for the U.S. Check out these recent notable dates and history-changing people that, like our veterans, signify the hope and bravery it takes to push for change. Nov. 1 - First medical school for women, the Boston Female Medical College, opened
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Womens Equality never takes a holiday

10-21-2014
Bethany Imondi
Lined up against the wall, there we were, all dressed in the same uniform: khaki pants and a navy blue polo. A mix of high school students, our attention focused on the electric board before us that diagrammed the rows of seats before us. Then, when a light came on, one of us would rush to its source and respond accordingly. This experience of watching for the lights and running errands for the members of Rhode Island’s House of Representatives who lit them is responsible for my unabashed
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Columbus Day and Feminism what do they have in common

10-12-2014
Farah Faye
The Niña, the Pinta the Santa Maria. Sound familiar? What about, “in 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”? I’m sure that rings a bell for you. These are the things we are taught in elementary school about Christopher Columbus. As children, we spent time coloring in outlines of his famous three ships and learning about the fearless explorer’s adventure to the New World. We love him so much, we dedicate a whole day to him. But schools tend to “forget” to mention how cruel Christopher Columbus
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The Civil Death Life of the Married Woman

10-07-2014
Nancy Austin
Recently I touched base with my friend Kathy to talk about the current state of the women’s movement. Kathy noticed things that needed tojust get done that weren’t being addressed. She asked: Why were people still debating some of the same feminist issues her generation had taken on decades earlier? Let’s get moving, she exclaimed impatiently! I responded from my broad-view perspective as a historian: I agree with you, Kathy. But isn’t it sobering to see the need to keep multi-generational
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You Matter Women and the Midterm Elections

09-30-2014
Molly Savard
I identify as a political person who has, until recently, been checked out of mainstream politics. Keeping up with the two-party political theater whose tickets are sold primarily to Koch & Friends overwhelmed me. On a recent trip to the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum Conference, however, I woke up. The upcoming midterm elections will directly impact the lives of women voters and candidates (including Rhode Island’s would-be first woman governor), and women will dictate
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Inspired to Advocate

09-23-2014
Katharine Murphy
I struggle with self-expression and have internalized humility in a very extreme sense of the word. Growing up, I was taught to listen to others without involving myself, to put my priorities aside when others had it worse, and to avoid making anyone feel uncomfortable with my concerns. I recognize the same phenomenon happening all around me: people finding themselves either hesitant or unable to stand behind what they believe in. It's about time we pull everything out from under the rug. For
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Nine Women Appointed as Supreme Court Justices

09-16-2014
Ailin Lu
"Nine Women Appointed as Supreme Court Justices" is a pseudo-headline that would elicit outrage across the nation. People would protest the unequal gender representation on the jury, and news anchors would dramatically announce, “This is a development that could radically change the way we interpret the Constitution.” I think it says a lot about us as a society that we can sit with the fact that all Supreme Court Justices were men for 239 years, and yet the thought of having all-female
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Its Time to Speak Up for Feminism

09-10-2014
Farah Faye
I owe my feminist beliefs to my mother. An outspoken, strong-willed woman, my mom was never afraid to speak her mind. As a result of this, she set a boundless example for me, and for any future women that would ever be a part of my brother’s life. To have a voice was considered the norm for me. My belief that a woman should be equal to a man was considered common sense, not a revolution. And in my small corner of Long Island, I never knew that it was such a big deal to be a feminist. Wasn’t
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The Zen of Now RI Governor supports Women Inventors a true story from 1858

09-03-2014
Nancy Austin
Show above: The second Union Station building (1898-1986) facing what is now Kennedy Plaza, Providence, Rhode Island. [Image: RI Secretary of State office] Over 150 years ago the governor of Rhode Island commissioned the portrait of a RI woman inventor for display in Union Station. It was part of his public history activism strategy to build support for equal economic opportunities for women in the state. It’s 1858 and the Rhode Island economy is still reeling from the Panic of 1857 - the first
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This Summer LoseWeightNotWeight

08-12-2014
Molly Savard
It’s swimsuit season! Are you feeling bad about yourself yet? If you’re like most humans I know, you’re too bony, too curvy, too flat, too pale, too dark — basically, your kind should just stay away from the beach or pool. Or at least cover up that unattractive flesh. During and leading up to the summer months, we’re bombarded with headlines promoting “beach-ready bodies” (which, in my dictionary, means only “sunscreened”), as well as friends’ flattering selfies from the sand(hashtag you’re
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In Honor of Our Elders

08-07-2014
clientadmin
My 78-year-old grandmother recently moved from the Cape Verde Islands - an archipelago located off the West Coast of Africa - to our small state of Rhode Island. Even though she now resides here in New England, we are still constantly catching up. She tells me great tales about our relatives and friends back home, but I mostly share stories about the exciting work I feel so fortunate to be a part of here at the Women's Fund. So, yes, Grams (as I like to call her) knows all about the amazing
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Thank You Marcia

07-17-2014
clientadmin
My 78-year-old grandmother recently moved from the Cape Verde Islands - an archipelago located off the West Coast of Africa - to our small state of Rhode Island. Even though she now resides here in New England, we are still constantly catching up. She tells me great tales about our relatives and friends back home, but I mostly share stories about the exciting work I feel so fortunate to be a part of here at the Women's Fund. So, yes, Grams (as I like to call her) knows all about the amazing
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Aint She a Woman

07-15-2014
Molly Savard
My 78-year-old grandmother recently moved from the Cape Verde Islands - an archipelago located off the West Coast of Africa - to our small state of Rhode Island. Even though she now resides here in New England, we are still constantly catching up. She tells me great tales about our relatives and friends back home, but I mostly share stories about the exciting work I feel so fortunate to be a part of here at the Women's Fund. So, yes, Grams (as I like to call her) knows all about the amazing
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