Brief # 112 – Health and Gender Policy
The Biden Agenda for Women Series Part 5: Protecting and Empowering Women
By Erin McNemar
June 23, 2021
Policy Summary
As President Biden continues with his first term , women’s issues remain high on his agenda. During his campaign, he introduced The Biden Agenda for Women. Through this plan, he highlights ways his administration will support gender equality in the US and around the world. Biden wants to help create a culture that protects and empowers women. In the final section of his policy proposal, Biden explains just how he plans to do that.
Analysis
Biden begins this section by once again addressing the inequalities that women face, and how it impacts the world as a whole. Biden writes, “Governments, economies, industries, and communities everywhere are made stronger when they include the full participation of women. Yet, women are underrepresented in positions of power in most countries around the world. Trillions of dollars are lost each year from the global economy because women are excluded from full economic participation.”
Biden speaks about his support for women’s leadership globally. As he states, this includes breaking down political barriers and supporting civil education and leadership development for women and girls. Breaking down these barriers started with his own team. Biden pledged in the plan to “strive for gender parity and full diversity in his own national security and foreign policy appointments, elevating women into senior national security positions and ensuring that women of color are well-represented in senior ranks.”
Additionally, Biden also writes about the importance of elevating women economically. He comments that trillions of dollars are lost from the global economy each year by excluding women. In order to elevate women on an economic level, Biden proposes increasing education opportunities, enhancing inclusive banking and working with other world leaders to eliminate other barriers that women all around the globe face.
Biden also wants to work with other countries to confront gender-based violence. Biden explains, “Gender-based violence is a barrier to girls’ education, and inhibits women’s full participation in politics and the economy, holding back entire communities and countries.”
In order to confront the problem, Biden wants to restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Population Fund, train law enforcement to root out the issues that cause gender-based violence and bring back America’s commitment to supporting refugees and displaced persons. Lastly, Biden states he plans to “pursue ratification for the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), so that we can better advance the rights of women and girls here at home and around the world.”
Engagement Resources
- Read President Joe Biden’s Agenda for Women Plan.
- Learn more about the U.N. goals for Gender Equality.
- Take action with the Women’s March Movement.
- Reach out to your senators and representatives to take action!
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