Gender Pay Gap. Statistics show that the median gender pay gap is still 79 cents to the dollar. For Black women that number falls to 63 cents, Native women 58 cents, and Latinx only earn 54 cents for every dollar a white man makes. The economic toll of sexual harassment in the workplace on women is also a factor. Womxn who experience sexual harassment at work are 6.5 times more likely to leave their jobs compared with women who don't, according to research by Amy Blackstone. Blackstone also said that when these women leave their jobs they often end up in less lucrative fields or positions, which has a negative economic effect on women throughout the rest of their careers. All Women's Progress Think Tank wants to research what are the material economic consequences for women who experience sexual harassment in the workplace and how does that contribute to the gender pay gap.
Voter Suppression. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, up to 1/3 of women don't have the right documentation to register to vote in a strict voter ID state. Women's votes are suppressed to due voter ID laws, strict gender identification laws, inaccessible polling stations, and inadequate measures to protect the information of domestic violence survivors. Despite all this, we have no idea how many women's votes are suppressed in every election because no one is studying this issue. AWP wants to close the gender data gap on voter suppression by researching how voter suppression specifically impacts women.
Growing Incarceration. Womxn of color are the largest growing group of incarcerated individuals in this country. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, 86% of women in jail have reported experiencing sexual abuse and 90% of women who are in jail for killing an intimate partner report that intimate partner abused them. Unfortunately, there is very little information on how this sexual abuse could have contributed to the crimes that led the women to be incarcerated or the best ways to intervene to reduce this growing trend.
The Tampon tax is an important political issue but our fight shouldn't just stop at repealing the luxury tax on tampons. How would make tampons free in schools help young girls from marginalized communities fair better in school? We need menstrual products available for free in schools, shelters, and correctional facilities. How can we improve period products to be better for the environment and keep toxins out of our bodies?
MIA BRETT
CO-FOUNDER
Mia Brett is finishing her Ph.D. in American legal history and has a long history in teaching and political advocacy. At Barnard, Mia’s dedication to women’s rights and criminal justice reform were encouraged by the environment at a women’s college in New York City. After internships in criminal justice reform, Mia began to pursue her Ph.D. in history specializing in American legal history. During the 2016 election season, Mia’s interest in politics and social justice returned and she started one of the infamous secret Hillary Facebook groups. Mia is currently living in Brooklyn, teaching legal history, finishing her dissertation, and working for the All Women's Progress Party Think Tank.
MAYA CONTRERAS
CO-FOUNDER
Maya Contreras is a professional writer, performer, and voting rights advocate. Her love of the arts, politics and the intersection of the two have given her a substantial background in both. Maya's plays have appeared Off-Broadway (Let The Devil Take the Hindmost), and Off-Off-Broadway (The Bloodline of Shadrick Grace, On The Use and Disadvantages of Leaving, and 'The Flowers'). Her short film 'Final Portrait' was an official selection in England's Winchester Film Festival. Maya co-hosted the Emmy Award-winning TV show 'Brewed in New York' for PBS. As a lifelong advocate and activist Maya organized food and clothing drives in high-school for the Resurrection House, Inc. in Sarasota, FL. Her activism continued as an undergrad at F.S.U. where she organized lectures on women’s income inequality. After graduation Maya organized multiple music festivals for the non-profit organizations' Hands on Atlanta and Amnesty International. After moving to New York City, Maya noticed a startling trend of apathy in civic participation, so — in the midst of building her career as a playwright and writer— Contreras became involved in political organizing once again. She utilized her skills as a storyteller to convince those around her of the importance of the vote while frequently meeting with elected officials in New York and Washington D.C. Maya was appointed by City Councilwoman Carlina Rivera to the Neighborhood Advisory Board, Community 3, Manhattan. Contreras co-founded All Women’s Progress Think Tank because she saw the need for an intersectional feminist policy institute dedicated to improving the lives of women and marginalized groups through research and education. As an NYU Art & Public Policy M.A. student Maya won the 2020 Graduate Research Grant.
