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GeoGirls at Walmart: Just What A Girl (Doesn’t) Need?

Posted February 10th, 2011 by

Grappling over how best to teach your 8-year old daughter environmental stewardship? Wonder no more! Walmart has announced a new line of “green” cosmetics targeted to tween girls. It’s called “GeoGirls” and the megastore is gearing up to line its shelves with the product in mere days. I say: just in time, Wal-Mart. I’m so [...]

Posted Under: H: Environmental Health

If You Play Fair, They Should Pay Fair: Why the Women’s Wage Gap Persists

Posted September 24th, 2010 by

Originally posted on RH Reality Check There’s a lot of talk this week about the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) and its chances for passage as Congress is set to adjourn, and head home for campaign season. The act is a necessary next-step piece of legislation when it comes to protection against gender-based wage disparities, by [...]

Tax Plan Hurts Single Mothers and Working Families Most

Posted September 15th, 2010 by

I’ve said it before but it bears repeating – working ourselves out from under the rubble of this recession won’t happen if we attempt to step on the more vulnerable members of society in the process. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to do just that with his tax bill, introduced on September 13. [...]

California Moms and Children Receive Boost from Legislature

Posted September 2nd, 2010 by

Governor Schwarzenegger holds the power to improve access to maternity care coverage for all women in his state and ensure equitable coverage for children with pre-existing conditions. Last week, the California Legislature passed two bills which will significantly impact the health and lives of women and children. From Mercurynews.com: The bills approved Wednesday would phase [...]

Massachusetts Maternity Leave Ruling Leaves Moms Cold

Posted August 18th, 2010 by

According to Salon’s Broadsheet, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled last week that the state’s maternity leave act (MMLA) should stand, leaving mothers who work for a company with less than fifty employees with only two months of unpaid leave after the birth of a baby. The other moms? They’re either left with a sum total [...]

Of Single Mothers, Women of Color And Rising Unemployment Rates

Posted August 9th, 2010 by

Originally posted on RH Reality Check It’s no secret that families headed by single mothers make up the poorest sector of society in this country. According to the National Poverty Center, the poverty rate for this group is “significantly higher” than the overall poverty rate: In 2008, 28.7 percent of households headed by single women [...]

Posted Under: Uncategorized

Dutch Study Pumps Breastfeeding, Support Still Lacking

Posted July 21st, 2010 by

I write, occasionally, about breastfeeding and bottlefeeding. I try, when I do, to present a balanced approach. It is challenging at times – to reconcile the choices I’ve made personally with my own children, with evidence-based studies and information that seems to come out regularly pointing to the overwhelming health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding; with [...]

Testing Pregnant Women’s Breath?

Posted June 24th, 2010 by

Cross-posted at RH Reality Check Health officials in England want to give pregnant women a breath-test. Not for alcohol, but for signs of smoking. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), according to the Telegraph, “…has recommended that all pregnant women should have their breath measured for carbon monoxide levels when they book [...]

Posted Under: CA Healthcare

New Report: Americans Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Posted June 21st, 2010 by

The results of a new poll show that while paid sick days is an employment benefit many Americans believe should be ensured by the government as a “basic labor standard,” too many are going without. In fact, according to the survey sponsored by Washington DC’s Public Welfare Foundation and conducted through the University of Chicago’s [...]

Wear The Pants (Day)!

Posted June 10th, 2010 by

Personally, I fancy a skirt on warm June days (though we’re far from that these days, in Seattle). But where would moms be without that one pair of perfect jeans? You know what I’m talking about. The jeans you wear at least three days a week? The “from playground to casual dinner” jeans? Wearing pants [...]

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