Noreen Farrell

Noreen Farrell is the Executive Director of Equal Rights Advocatesa national non-profit law firm dedicated to representing the rights of women and girls at work and at school. Noreen is a prominent civil rights litigator and advocate and a nationally rec

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Paid Family Leave

May 21, 2012

By Noreen Farrell, Executive Director of Equal Rights Advocates Two stories. Two radically different endings. Maria and Angie work for different employers in different states. Both were thrilled when they became pregnant. They were confident that they could continue to perform their jobs during their pregnancies. Like many pregnant women, Maria and Angie eventually sought minor accommodations for pregnancy-related restrictions. Maria was given a stool and worked late into pregnancy. Angie was refused occasional lifting assistance and was forced from work just a few months into her pregnancy...

MomsRising Together

November 8, 2011

My five-year-old daughter started kindergarten ten weeks ago. She is excited, happy, and reasonably well-adjusted to life at our neighborhood public school. Yet, she recently confided in me that she “pretends not to look” at the third grade classroom door of a student who has teased her on the playground. She reasoned that if she does not look at that door, the student may leave her alone. Unfortunately, no matter which survival tactic kids employ – from avoiding certain classrooms or hallways, to switching schools, or deciding to stop attending school altogether – harassment and bullying is...

MomsRising Together

November 3, 2011

(This piece was also written by Monali Sheth) Feminist activist Gloria Steinem has remarked that “[i]gnorance is the root of oppression.” So it is important that Equal Rights Advocates, a nonprofit legal organization working for women and girls, acknowledges this twentieth anniversary of the testimony of Anita Hill before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about sexual harassment she experienced from then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Here's recent history our children need to know: In 1991, Hill was a 35-year old lawyer who had worked for Clarence Thomas at the U.S. Department of...

MomsRising Together

Paid Family Leave Health Care

October 7, 2011

By Noreen Farrell, Equal Rights Advocates, and Beth McGovern, California Commission on the Status of Women California is often a national leader in legislation for working families and the Golden State did not disappoint Thursday with passage of Senate Bill 299. California women workers and their families caught a break when Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law yesterday that requires employers continue to provide health coverage for women on pregnancy or childbirth-related leave. It’s the kind of commonsense law you might have guessed was already in place. SB 299, authored by Senator Noreen...

MomsRising Together

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Expecting a Baby, Not A Lay-Off: ERA Report Shows Accommodating Pregnant Workers A Win-Win

Stopping Tomorrow's Bullies Now

Today's Faces of Anita Hill

Victory for California’s Pregnant Workers: Governor Signs Bill That Ensures Continued Health Benefits during Pregnancy Disability Leave