POSITION
PAPERS
(revised and submitted for approval, 9/9/98)
Educational
Equity
The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee believes that all
individuals have the right to a quality education. We believe
that the experiences, strengths, and needs of girls and women
from all ethnic groups and social classes must be considered
in order to promote excellence and equity for all students.
Both female and male students must see themselves reflected
and valued in the materials they study. Thus we are committed
to the elimination of barriers that impede girls and women
from obtaining quality education.
We
support:
- Preparation
and training of all school personnel to increase gender
awareness and bring gender equity to every aspect of schooling,
including training in handling sexual harassment cases at
schools;
- Formal
school curricula which include the experiences and expertise
of women and men from all walks of life, so that both female
and male students see themselves reflected and valued in
the materials they study;
- Education
of female students in mathematics, science, and technology
at all levels so that they see their importance and relevance
to their lives generally and in pursuit of education and
employment in these as well as other non-traditional areas;
-
Establishment and enforcement of school policies and procedures
dealing with sexual harassment, including student-to-student
harassment, which inform students about reporting procedures,
and prepare school personnel to handle such grievances;
- Equal
access to all school programs, sports, and extracurricular
activities must be provided, pursuant to Title IX of the
1987 amended Civil Rights Act;
-
Fair consideration of female educators at all levels in
the hiring process and in promotion reviews as well as recognition
of the unique contribution these women make to scholarship
and education;
- Inclusion
of women in leadership positions such as school administrators
and education policy-making organizations at the local,
state, and national level and the encouragement of young
women to participate in educational reform activities in
their communities; and Affirmative action policies as applied
to education and resist all efforts to subvert these policies
and practices.
Adopted
1995
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Lesbian
Rights
The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee, in advocating full
equality for women, is dedicated to the inclusiveness of lesbian
rights as a fundamental component of that advocacy. Lesbians
are oppressed on the basis of both gender and sexual orientation,
and lesbians of color suffer further bias on the basis of
race. Lesbians face discrimination in jobs, military service
and housing, experience "gay bashing," and have the lowest
health services utilization rates. Among adolescents, gay
teens have the highest suicide rate. Lesbians may lose custody
of their children and are denied the social and economic benefits
of legally sanctioned domestic partnerships. We strive to
foster respect and understanding of lesbians' sexual orientation
and culture and to work for their full equal rights.
We
support:
- Adoption
of all legislative efforts to prohibit discrimination based
on sexual orientation in employment, credit, child custody,
housing and public accommodation, and enforcement of current
laws prohibiting such discrimination;
-
Introduction of domestic partners' policies in employee
benefits' packages in both public and private sectors and
the full recognition, including the possibility of marriage,
of lesbian couples for purposes of taxes, insurance, estates
and hospital visitation;
- Protection
for lesbians against discrimination in all parenting situations
such as child custody, adoption and foster care;
- Programs
that offer comprehensive sexuality education, support the
needs of lesbian/gay students in the public schools, and
promote positive images of lesbian/gay persons in classroom
curricula;
- Education
of health care providers about the specific needs of lesbians
and development of services for lesbians in comprehensive
health, reproductive care and substance abuse programs;
- Broad
education of law enforcement personnel in the management
of hate bias crimes and the training of judges and attorneys
on lesbian issues in custody, inheritance and domestic violence;
- and
Programs and coalitions to educate about, and help defeat,
anti-lesbian and gay initiatives.
We
oppose:
- Efforts
to repeal, remove, or prohibit:
(1) anti-discrimination ordinances;
(2) comprehensive sexuality education or programs in support
of lesbian and gay students in public schools;
(3) funding or displaying of the work of lesbian/gay artists.
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Reproductive
Rights
The
freedom to decide whether and when to become a parent is a
private and personal matter. It is a fundamental right of
all women, regardless of age and economic circumstances. The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee believes that a
woman's decisions concerning her reproductive health care
rest with her alone, in consultation with a medical provider.
We
support:
-
Comprehensive sexuality education;
- Access
to affordable contraception for all women who want and need
it;
- Access
to affordable, safe, legal abortion for women who choose
to terminate their pregnancies;
- Access
to affordable pre-natal care for women continuing a pregnancy
to term;
- Development
of a broader range and more effective contraceptives;
- Policies
to assure the availability in a timely fashion of new reproductive
health care technology to women in the U.S., whether developed
here or in other countries;
- Access
to affordable rehabilitation programs for substance abusing
pregnant women;
- and
Enforcement of laws prohibiting employer discrimination
against women based on their reproductive potential.
We
oppose:
- Government
interference with a woman's right to reproductive choice,
including but not limited to:
(1) permission or notification requirements with respect
to parents, spouses or potential fathers;
(2) waiting requirements;
(3) limitations on a woman's reasons for terminating a pregnancy;
(4) prescribed state information requirements not relevant
to a woman's health;
- Judicial
interventions which violate a woman's constitutional rights
such as incarceration of substance abusing pregnant women,
which serve only to deter such women from seeking rehabilitative
treatment and early pre-natal care;
- and
The use of sterilization to impose one standard of reproductive
behavior and mothering practice and the imposition of court-ordered
reproductive health medical procedures that violate the
right to informed consent and to bodily integrity.
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Health
Care
The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee is committed to
the development of a health policy that will eliminate economic
and attitudinal barriers impeding women from obtaining adequate
health services. It is fundamental that women recognize, respect,
and have the resources to act on our own needs. At the same
time, individual well-being can only be achieved in a social
context, through enlightened public policy.
We
support:
- An
affordable nationwide health plan to make quality care available
to all women and their families, regardless of income;
-
Meeting the health care needs of older women, with particular
attention to issues of age/sex discrimination in the delivery
of health service, and public financing of long-term care;
- Programs
for mentally, developmentally, and physically disabled individuals
with particular attention to long-term care and conservator-ship;
-
Expansion of programs to meet the needs of in-home caregivers
of children, the elderly, and the disabled;
- Increased
development of programs for pre-natal and post-natal care,
and support for programs that focus on preventive care in
the early years of life;
- Inclusion
of women in medical research studies, expansion of funding
for research and medical training on women's health issues;
- Disease
prevention and health maintenance programs that educate
women about their special health care needs such as breast
cancer, heart disease, cervical cancer, osteoporosis, AIDS
and other sexually transmitted infections;
- Mental
health care that provides opportunities for women to discover
and develop skills necessary for taking responsibility for
one's own life;
- and
The concept of death with dignity, encouraging the use of
durable power of attorney for health care and directive
to physicians "living will."
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Women
in the Workplace
Economic
independence is a vital component of women's freedom and equality.
Women who work outside the home have the right to equal opportunity
in all aspects of employment. As women are primarily responsible
for the care-taking of their children and elders. workplace
policies must also accommodate those needs.
We
support:
- Employer-sponsored
comprehensive, affordable and quality health-care benefits
and retirement plans that meet the needs of working women
and their families;
-
Efforts to shatter the glass ceiling;
- Inclusion
of domestic partners as qualified dependents to existing
employer-sponsored benefit programs, and allowance for their
full coverage;
- Expansion
of current medical and family care leave benefits, including
granting additional leave time, allowing the use of paid
leave benefits, and extending the use of family care leave
to other close relatives;
-
Equal pay for equal work and pay equity policies;
- Initiatives
to ensure safe, healthy, and secure working conditions;
- Abolishment
of "sweatshop" labor practices;
- Equal
opportunity and access in workplace recruitment, hiring,
training and promotion of employees, as well as the fulfillment
of employer-sponsored affirmative action goals, whether
set voluntarily or mandated by law;
- Flexible
scheduling policies which allow women and their families
to participate fully in both their workplace and home lives;
Increased training of all employees and effective enforcement
against, sexual harassment at work;
- and
Legislation which further enhances women-friendly policies
and economic equity for women.
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The
Environment
The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee believes that a
feminist approach to public policy encompasses the basic tenet
of a sound approach to the environment. The continued existence
of the human race and of the Earth itself depends on decisions
made yesterday, today and tomorrow - political, economic and
social decisions - made on a global, as well as local scale.
For too long, decisions have been made by others, without
sufficient regard to the profound impact on women's lives.
Human reproduction and the welfare of our children is of particular
concern to women. Life in a clean environment is the right
of all, regardless of race, ethnicity, or economic status.
We
support:
-
Population policies which give women the right to plan for
and raise healthy children in a healthful environment will
be successful in creating and maintaining an ecologically
balanced world;
-
The reduction of pollutants, whether released into the air,
soil and water of our environment, or part of manufacturing
and waste generating processes which ignore people's health
and safety, is an ongoing priority and goal;
- The
reduction of the use of fossil fuels, and the environmental
degradation that results from its production and combustion;
-
Efforts to seek alternative, renewable energy technologies;
-
and The principle of sustainability as a guide to develop
decisions: that is, a principle which strives at the global,
national or local level to foster communities which live
within their available resources, maximizing their use for
public good, and conserving them for the use of future generations.
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Housing
The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee recognizes the right
to shelter for all human beings. Toward that end, We support:
- Financial
assistance programs for homeless families and individuals
which address the need for emergency shelter, transitional
housing, and permanent housing;
- The
preservation and rehabilitation of housing units affordable
to low and moderate income persons. Support of construction
of new affordable units shall be limited by the environmental
effects of each project;
-
Efforts to curtail commercial and industrial development
which increases demand on the housing supply, unless these
and other adverse effects are fully mitigated;
-
Research on and creation of alternative public and private
funding sources, incentives and mechanisms which will assist
low and moderate income individuals and families, including
those recently separated from welfare, to purchase homes
in Santa Barbara County;
- Public
and private financial assistance programs including, but
not limited to, increased federal subsidies, for low and
moderate income renters; Solutions to the problems of unreasonable
evictions and rents, including mediation and other alternative
dispute resolution methods;
-
Efforts to eliminate housing discrimination against families
with children;
- and
Elimination of housing discrimination based on sex, sexual
orientation, medical condition, religion, race, color, ancestry,
national origin, citizenship, physical disability, marital
status, age, source of income, income level and family definition.
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Child
Care
Quality,
affordable and accessible child care continues to be elusive
for all the children of this and other counties in the State.
Our children are our greatest national resource and their
daily well-being from their earliest developmental stages
until they reach school age must be among the highest priorities
facing government and policy makers. In the current climate
of welfare-to-work social reform/legislation, providing child
care must be a part of the equation, along with job skills
training and adequate transportation. To this end, the Santa
Barbara Women's Political Committee strongly favors the adoption
of a national child care policy. In addition, We support:
- Legislation
that increases funding of existing programs and the expansion
or development of additional child care resources, including
day care facilities, family day care homes, in-home care,
and drop-in centers;
- Public
and private funding of affordable, high-quality child care
programs for the care of infants, pre-school and school-aged
children as well as public and private funding for the expansion
and development of child care services for children with
special needs, including developmentally and physically
challenged, care for mildly ill children, children at risk
of abuse and neglect (RESPITE), and homeless children;
- Employer-sponsored
child care, including employer-tax incentives, employee
child care benefits, on-site facilities, alternative work
schedules, resource and referral, and supplementary child
care services;
- and
Policies that create standards for training and certification
which ensure quality care and provide sufficient financial
incentives to attract the most qualified and well-trained
child care professionals possible.
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Crimes
Against Women
Crimes
that have been perpetrated against women throughout the course
of history must be stopped. These crimes include, but are
not limited to, femicide, rape (spousal, date, wartime), battering,
assault, sexual harassment, ritual abuse, and depictions of
pornographic violence against women. Crimes against women
cross all socioeconomic backgrounds, races, nationalities,
cultures, and ages. They are unacceptable and unconscionable
forms of oppression that the Santa Barbara Women's Political
Committee is committed to ending through various strategies.
We
support:
- Educational
programs which include:
(1) outreach to all women with special emphasis for those
women at greater risk, including non-English speaking women;
(2) diversity training of law enforcement, medical personnel,
attorneys, and judges to eliminate gender and cultural bias;
-
Prevention programs including self-defense and date-rape
awareness;
- Special
programs which focus on male responsibility to stop physical
and psychological abuse;
- Efforts
to encourage professional women and men to provide services
to victims and to women's agencies;
-
Funding for: battered women shelters and restraining order
clinics;
- rape
crisis programs and sexual assault response teams;
-
psychological counseling and restitution for victims;
-
a national toll-free number for information and help;
- and
research and data gathering;
-
and Legislation which clarifies and broadens the definitions
of crimes against women;
- supports
victims' rights;
- supports
legislation for handgun control.
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Equal
Rights Amendment
Sex
discrimination remains a major societal problem which principally
affects women. Historically, the United States Supreme Court
has refused to accord women that protection and equality under
the Constitution which prohibits other forms of invidious
discrimination, such as race discrimination.
The
Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee is firmly committed
to equal rights for all persons regardless of their sex. Therefore,
we reaffirm our commitment to do all in our power to eliminate
sex discrimination, and continue to support the adoption of
the Equal Rights Amendment until it becomes the law of the
United States of America.
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Gender
Balance
At
least fifty percent of the population of the County of Santa
Barbara is comprised of women, and yet women are vastly under-represented
on citizen commissions. In as much as women are more likely
to make feminist policy and because appointments lead to elected
office, the Santa Barbara Women's Political Committee urges
the following actions:
- Gender-balanced
appointive boards and commissions;
-
Consideration by all appointing authorities of gender balance,
and the specific inclusion of women of color, in the appointment
process;and
- The
compilation and maintenance for public review by governmental
agencies of an updated list of the members of each citizen
board and commission, their terms of office, and the current
number of men and women serving on such appointive bodies.
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Pay
Equity
The
wage gap between women and men is one of the oldest and most
persistent symptoms of sexual inequality in the United States.
Although women are making headway in the labor market, the
wage gap has not narrowed significantly. Pay equity is therefore
one of the most important issues affecting all women. The
issue is especially significant to women of color who continue
to suffer the brunt of economic discrimination in today's
society.
We
support:
- Increased
wages for undervalued jobs held predominantly by women and
minorities;
- Advocacy
for programs in which employers characterize jobs by similar
levels of skills, effort, responsibility, and working conditions,
compensating workers at similar wage levels regardless of
the sex or race of the worker holding such jobs;
-
Initiatives taken by employers and employees, including
unions, and local, state, and Federal legislation to implement
pay equity in the workplace.
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