Prominent Male Allies Run Full Page Ad in the Washington Post Calling on Congress to Support the Marshall Plan for Moms

NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- 50 prominent male allies, many of whom are fathers, today signed a letter in the Washington Post calling on Congress to support the "Marshall Plan for Moms," to pay mothers for their unpaid, unseen labor and to pass policies addressing parental leave, affordable childcare, and pay equity.  They join over 50 women who penned their support for the "Marshall Plan for Moms" in the New York Times, and the growing movement of more than 15,000 people who call on our leaders to put moms first during this terrible pandemic. Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies and a Girls Who Code Board member, is supporting the Marshall Plan for Moms campaign as a major funder, advocate, and ally.  

"We're in a childcare crisis, women are the biggest part of the economic crisis, and the pandemic has reversed decades of progress towards women's equality," said Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of Girls Who Code. "This is a national crisis that requires bold solutions -- we can't afford anything less. Today's action shows that women aren't standing alone: this is a broad coalition and a growing movement to finally value women's work."

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 September 2020 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that women were leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men.

"Mothers are facing the brunt of this pandemic, and it is on all of us to step up and ensure that we are providing them with the relief and compensation they deserve," said Craig Newmark, founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies. "That is why I'm making an investment in the Marshall Plan for Moms so that we can continue to raise awareness and call on our elected leaders to take action now."

Earlier this month, Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) introduced the Marshall Plan for Moms (H.Res.121), a bold and sweeping piece of legislation to revitalize and restore women in the workforce, and the first of its kind to call for a transformative investment to help mothers who have been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When more than 30 years of progress for women in the workforce can be erased in 9 months, the underlying system is broken," says the letter-- which ran as a full page ad in the Washington Post today. "It's time to create a new structure that works for women, that respects and values their labor. Men have a role to play."

Male Allies who signed onto the letter are as follows:

Tim Allen, Care.com; Brendon Ayanbadejo, NFL Champion & West Coast Fitness; Justin Baldoni, Filmmaker & Entrepreneur; Ramin Bastani, Healthvana; Vijay Chattha, VSC; Don Cheadle; Tom Colicchio; Victor Cruz; Seth Curry; Steph Curry; Mike de la Rocha, Revolve Impact; Winston Duke; Arne Duncan, Emerson Collective; Andy Dunn, Monica + Andy; Colin Farrell; Stew Friedman, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Scott Galloway, NYU Professor; Jason Winston George; Jeremy Goldberg, LeagueApps; Adam Grant, Author and organizational psychologist; George Gresham, President of 1199 SEIU UHE; Hill Harper; Aaron Holiday, 645 Ventures; Anthony Abraham Jack, Professor, Harvard University; John B. King Jr., Former U.S. Secretary of Education and The Education Trust; Sundeep Madra, Entrepreneur; J.R. Martinez, Actor & Veteran; Nihal Mehta, Eniac Ventures; Maurício Mota, Wise Entertainment; Craig Newmark, craigslist & Craig Newmark Philanthropies; Alexis Ohanian, 776; Brian O'Kelley, Waybridge; Jacques-Philippe Piverger, Entrepreneur; Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, Writer, Religious Leader; JJ Redick; Robert Reffkin, Compass; Alberto Retana, Community Coalition; Doc Rivers; Dan Rosensweig, Chegg; Mark K. Shriver, Save the Children; Michael Skolnik, The Soze Agency; Devaraj Southworth, Thirstie, Inc.; Baratunde Thurston, How To Citizen With Baratunde; Vivek J. Tiwary, Tiwary Entertainment Group; Jose Antonio Vargas; Fred Wilson, USV; Andrew Yang; Ben Yarrow, West Wing Writers; Jeremiah "Ice" Younossi, Music Agent & Writer; and Jeffrey Zurofsky, Entrepreneur & Activist.

For more information, visit www.marshallplanformoms.com.

The full text of the full page ad in the Washington Post reads as follows:

Dear United States Congress:

In January, 50 prominent women called for a Marshall Plan for Moms: a bold 360-plan to get women back to work that includes:

Direct payments to moms, who have had their paid labor in the workforce replaced by unseen, unpaid labor at home.

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

Retraining programs to ensure women can fill the jobs that will exist.

Plans to safely reopen schools 5 days a week.

We stand with them. We need a Marshall Plan for Moms — now.

When more than 30 years of progress for women in the workforce can be erased in 9 months, the underlying system is broken. It's time to create a new structure that works for women, that respects and values their labor.

Men have a role to play.

As partners and fathers we need to start doing our share at home. Studies show we are failing.

As the majority of employers we also need to create more protections and flexibility for working moms, and to put an end to the "motherhood penalty" that punishes them for exercising it.

President Biden and Vice President Harris have called the crisis affecting moms a "national emergency." We agree. For that we need Congress to pass a national solution: a Marshall Plan for Moms.

Women have been fighting for equality for centuries. Now is the time to finish that fight and rebuild our economy to finally value women's work.

ABOUT GIRLS WHO CODE

Girls Who Code is an international nonprofit organization working to close the gender gap in technology, and leading the movement to inspire, educate and equip young women with the computing skills needed to pursue 21st-century opportunities. Since launching in 2012, Girls Who Code has reached 500 million people through its work and 300,000 girls through its in-person programming. College-aged alumni of Girls Who Code are declaring majors in computer science and related fields at 15 times the U.S. average. In 2018, the organization was named the #1 Most Innovative Non-Profit on Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies list. Follow the organization on social media @GirlsWhoCode.

SOURCE Girls Who Code