Women4Change, Indiana lawmakers use forum to focus on protecting women in the workforce

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A virtual forum on Thursday was aimed at the need to protect women in the workforce, especially during a pandemic.

The forum was put on by Women4Change and some Indiana lawmakers.

They discussed several bills currently under consideration at the Indiana Statehouse to protect women workers. Those bills address pregnancy accommodations, wage disclosure, paid leave and family medical leave.

“Our current economy brought on by this pandemic has been referred to as the she session, as job and income losses have more severely affected women than men.” said Sherry Watkins with American Association of University Women. “The service industry, especially the leisure and hospitality industries, have been most negatively impacted. These industries disproportionately employ women.”

Women are more likely than men to lose their job due to the pandemic. In fact, one in four women who reported being unemployed say it’s because they lacked child care.