During the month of March, International Women’s day and Women’s History Month are observed and celebrated.
Every year since 1988, each administration has selected a theme to highlight a certain aspect of women’s history. The 2017 National Women’s History Month theme is “Honoring Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business.” Since the inception, this month has rightfully been dedicated to honor the stories of women pioneers and heroes for their contributions and involvement to American history and the world. The National Women's History Project successfully lobbied for the observance to be extended from a day to a week and from a week to a month over the past 100 years, and has continuously pushed for women’s equality in the work place as well as honoring women from diverse backgrounds as pioneers in women’s labor. This year, 13 incredible women who have made an extraordinary impact on labor and business are being honored, including Kate Mullany, the founder of the first all-female labor union and Alexis Herman, a former Secretary of the Department of Labor. In recognition of Women's history month, we'd like to share a few resources with you and your loved ones.
Several initiatives exist to promote and preserve gender equality and women’s rights in the U.S. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has championed 'Equal Pay' policies that aim to ensure women and other demographic groups have equal pay and employment opportunities in the workplace. You can find information on policies such as the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which set new, pro-equality terms for filing equal-pay lawsuits. Also, as this Women’s history month theme is women in labor and business, information on small business loans can be found here.
Benefit Programs for Women
In addition, Benefits.gov has information on programs from across 17 Federal agencies, specifically for women and children.
- The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA)'s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides food, nutrition education, and access to sources of healthcare, social services, and more at no cost to low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five.
- If you participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as the Food Stamp Program, then you are automatically eligible.
- For women who are Veterans, the Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) offers the Women Health Care Benefits Program that provides comprehensive medical services for women including gender-specific health care, rehabilitation, primary care and more.
To learn more about Women’s History Month and the 2017 Women’s History Month Honorees please visit the National Women’s History Alliance. To check your eligibility for over 1,000 government benefit programs, take the Benefit Finder questionnaire.
