Techies take out full-page NYT ad to propose "Marshall Plan for Moms"
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani is leading a group of executives and celebrities calling on the Biden administration to help working moms who have borne an outsized share of the pandemic-related burden.
What's happening: Organizers note that women are leaving the workforce in large numbers. They're using a full-page ad in today's New York Times to propose a "Marshall Plan for Moms" that would see President Biden unleash federal dollars and policies to support working mothers.
Details: The Times ad takes the form of a letter, signed by more than 50 people, including MeToo founder Tarana Burke, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, Birchbox CEO Katia Beauchamp and celebrities such as Charlize Theron, Eva Longoria and Gabrielle Union.
- They call on Biden to work with Congress to implement short-term monthly payments for moms and pass "long overdue policies like paid family leave, affordable childcare and pay equity."
By the numbers: According to a report from the National Women's Law Center, more than 2 million women have left the U.S. workforce since the pandemic began.
- A December 2020 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that women were leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men.
"Every mom I know is exhausted," Saujani told Axios.
"When schools closed, we became teachers, nannies, tech support, cooks. Everything. All while working full time jobs. Too many of us have had to leave our jobs completely. It's a national crisis that needs a federal solution. We need a Marshall Plan for Moms — to give out means-tested payments, and stop treating them like America's social safety net. It's holding us back, and honestly it's holding this country back."— Reshma Saujani, to Axios
Go deeper: Saujani tweeted a photo of the ad as it appeared in the Times Tuesday.
