When a Policy Win is Not Enough: Civic Engagement After the Big Win

With recent policy wins such as the NYC Earned Sick Time Act, the NYC Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, women (and men) have some important new protections. But if low-income workers, especially immigrants, don’t know what they are entitled to, and many employers are also poorly informed, there will continue to be a large gap between the best intentions of those policies and the experiences of women and their families. 

 

Many of those who are most vulnerable to violations of workplace rules are also often the most distant from information and knowledge about what their rights are. Workers for whom English is not the first language, women who work outside of traditional nine-to-five jobs, and people who have historically been the subject of active workplace discrimination such as women of color, lesbians and gender nonconforming women are often living way outside of policy circles where rights and entitlements are better known. What are the most effective civic engagement methods to reach the most vulnerable women to ensure they benefit from recently passed policies and other family support policies on the horizon?

 

What combinations of direct education, social media, traditional public information campaigns, grass roots organizing and other forms of civic engagement will be most effective to reach women at the margins?  Is philanthropy supporting the kinds of civic engagement that work best?