50 Prominent Women Run Full Page Ad in The New York Times Calling on President Biden to Implement Marshall Plan for Moms in First 100 Days

NEW YORK, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifty women today signed a letter in the New York Times, led by Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani, calling on the Biden Administration to create a task force dedicated to implementing a "Marshall Plan for Moms," to pay mothers for their unpaid, unseen labor and to pass policies addressing parental leave, affordable childcare, and pay equity.

"This pandemic has absolutely decimated the careers of working moms across the country," said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. "This is not an isolated incident—it is a national crisis, and we can start to address it within the first 100 days of this Administration."

According to a report from the National Women's Law Center, more than 2 million women have left the U.S. workforce since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. A December 2020 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that women were leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men.

"In December, all the jobs lost in the U.S. economy were lost by women," said Saujani. "And the situation is particularly bad for Black women, 154,000 of whom left the workforce entirely. We need to put in place a plan for moms, and we need it now."

"Sound crazy? It's not," says the letter—which ran as a full page ad in The New York Times today. "It's time to put a dollar figure on our labor. Motherhood isn't a favor and it's not a luxury. It's a job. The first 100 days are an opportunity to define our values. So let's start by valuing moms."

The women who signed onto the letter are as follows: Toyin Ajayi, Cityblock Health; Katia Beauchamp, Birchbox; Katie Bethell, Paid Leave for the US (PL + US); Connie Britton; Jean Brownhill, Sweeten; Tarana Burke, 'me too.' Movement; Melissa Butler, The Lip Bar; Claudia Chan, S.H.E. Summit; Julia Collins, Planet FWD; Dr. Dara Kass; Tiffany Dufu, The Cru; Anu Duggal, Female Founders Fund; Sarah Eagle Heart, Eagle Heart Collectiv; Crystal Echo Hawk, Executive Director, IllumiNative; Sarah Sophie Flicker, Artist and Activist; Liuba Grechen Shirley, Vote Mama; Mindy Grossman, WW International, Inc.; Desiree Gruber, Full Picture; Sarah Harden, Hello Sunshine; Naomi Hirabayashi, Shine; Chelsea Hirschhorn, Frida Mom; Jennifer Hyman, Rent the Runway; Payal Kadakia, Classpass; Sallie Krawcheck, Ellevest; Maria Teresa Kumar, VotoLatino; Marisa Renee Lee, Beacon Advisors; Cindi Leive, The Meteor; Marah Lidey, Shine; Eva Longoria; Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood; Paola Mendoza, Artist, Filmmaker and Activist; Alyssa Milano; Julianne Moore; Ana Ortiz; Hitha Palepu, #5SmartReads; Dee Poku, The WIE Suite; Mónica Ramirez, Activist and Organizer; Geena Rocero, Transgender Advocate; Eve Rodsky, Author, Fair Play; Katherine Ryder, Maven; Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code; Amy Schumer; Rachel Sklar, TheLuckiest.com; Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs; Women's March, Amber Tamblyn; Charlize Theron; Salamishah Tillet, A Long Walk Home; Gabrielle Union; Alexa von Tobel, Inspired Capital; Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble.

For more information, visit www.marshallplanformoms.com.

The full text of the full page ad in The New York Times reads as follows:

Dear President Biden:

You know this well: moms are the bedrock of society. And we're tired of working for free.

We need a Marshall Plan for Moms -- now.

Like the original Marshall Plan of 1948, this plan would be a financial investment in rebuilding from the ground up.

COVID has decimated so many of our careers. Two million of us have left the workforce, at a rate of four times that of men in September alone. Millions more have been forced to cut back our hours or work around the clock to keep our jobs and be full-time caregivers.

This is not an isolated incident -- it is a national crisis. You didn't create this problem, but your administration has an opportunity to fix it. In your first 100 days, we're asking you to: 

Establish a task force to create a Marshall Plan for Moms.

Implement a short-term monthly payment to moms depending on needs and resources.

Pass long overdue policies like paid family leave, affordable childcare and pay equity.

Sound crazy? It's not.

It's time to put a dollar figure on our labor. Motherhood isn't a favor and it's not a luxury. It's a job.

The first 100 days are an opportunity to define our values. So let's start by valuing moms.

About Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology and change the image of what a programmer looks like and does. With their 7-week Summer Immersion Program, after school Clubs, and College Loops program, they are leading the movement to inspire, educate, and equip young women with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. Girls Who Code has reached 300,000 girls to date through its programs and 500 million people through campaigns, advocacy work, and New York Times best-selling series. To join the movement or learn more, visit girlswhocode.com. Follow the organization on social media @GirlsWhoCode.

SOURCE Girls Who Code