And this is what she said:
"I've been around Wyoming. Most gals are just trying to survive. Unfortunately, in our state, women have always been expected to carry the load."
She went on to say, "Now, you are advocating that we stop taking it."
Yes, yes we are.
Providing education about who carries the load and who gets credit for carrying that load--not to mention who gets *paid* for carrying that load--is essential to women's economic security. Shining a light on the work that women do and how often it is overlooked and undervalued will enable us to change our state's fortunes. The truth is that the state's economy is propped up thanks to the unpaid work that (mostly) women do.
Addressing structural and systemic inequities is essential to closing the gender wage gap. One example: Our Social Security system doesn’t recognize parenting as the socially and economically valuable job that it is. Another example: women do 75% of all unpaid caregiving.
Which means that if we're honest, we have to admit: Poverty is sexist.