Public Policy & AAUW Positions

Supreme Court Nominee

AAUW is studying the nomination by President Barack Obama of United States Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the United States Supreme Court. In addition to having a distinguished law career, Kagan will be only the third woman to sit on the Court in all of its history. Kagan is called by AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman a trailblazer; Kagan is the first female dean of the Harvard Law School and the first female Solicitor General. Her confirmation hearings will start on June 28.

 

Extending Health Care Coverage to Adult Dependents

The provision extending health insurance dependent coverage to children under the age of 26 will go into effect no later than Sept. 23 of this year.  While complaints have been raised around loopholes that allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums for children with preexisting conditions until 2014, some companies are working ahead of schedule to prevent 2010 graduates from experiencing coverage gaps. 

 AAUW believes that everyone is entitled to health care that is high-quality, affordable, and easily accessible. This position stems from AAUW's 2009-2011 Public Policy Program, which advocates: "increased access to quality affordable health care."

 

U.S. Maternal Mortality on the Rise
According to a report released by Amnesty International, despite the fact that the U.S. spends more than any other country on maternal health care, maternal mortality is on the rise in the United States.  Deaths from pregnancy and childbirth have doubled in the last two decades, and as many as one-third of pregnant women in the U.S. suffer from pregnancy-related complications-a majority of which occur among minority women and women living in poverty.

AAUW supports the right of every woman to safe, accessible, affordable, and comprehensive family planning and reproductive health services.

 

Report

AAUW's recent report, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, found that environmental and social barriers continue to block women's participation and progress in STEM fields.  The lack of women and girls in STEM fields has significant implications not only for women's economic security, but for the overall U. S. economy as well.  AAUW believes America COMPETES will improve opportunities for women in these technical fields, improve STEM education for all students, and increase America's global competitiveness. 

 

                                                                     

                                                                      Myra Saturen
                                                               Public Policy Chairwoman

AAUW History Snapshot

1955 - AAUW supported the first federal legislative proposal for pay equity in a year when a woman working full time, year round made an average of 65 cents to every dollar earned by a man. The Adventures in Freedom study kit encouraged women to understand their integral roles in the economy.