California Women's Law Center

THE CALIFORNIA WOMEN’S LAW CENTER

Our mission is to break down barriers and advance the potential of women and girls through transformative litigation, policy advocacy and education. Working to protect, secure and advance the comprehensive legal rights of women and girls, we have established a network of support and collaboration that extends from the halls of city and state government, school boards and law enforcement agencies to law schools, bar associations and numerous coalitions of social justice organizations.

TITLE IX AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION

Ensuring gender equality exists on every school campus is one of our top priorities. We address gender discrimination in our schools using Title IX to fight inequities including unequal opportunities and access on the athletic playing field, failures in accommodating pregnant or parenting students and employees, and working to make our campuses safe from sexual violence and harassment.

Girls and Sports: Girls who play sports during their kindergarten through high school years are less likely to become pregnant and are more likely to graduate and earn a higher wage later in life than girls who do not play sports. Youth athletics are often cited as a first step toward future success, and the communities most in need of these advantages are predominately low-income and made up of women of color. CWLC fights for equal athletic opportunities and benefits for our girls in K-12 schools.

Pregnant and Parenting Students: Building on our work in 2015 and 2016, last year CWLC updated our report card on the state of lactation accommodation policies in K-12 schools in Los Angeles County. We evaluated 107 institutions of higher learning in Lactation 101: Lactation Accommodations in Los Angeles County Higher Education. We work with schools to ensure their policies and practices reflect state and national laws supporting breastfeeding students and employees.

Campus Sexual Assault: Combating sexual assault on school campuses remains a priority for CWLC. One in five women are sexually assaulted while in college and more than 90% of campus sexual assault victims do not report the incident. CWLC is dedicated to ensuring survivors have access to the resources they need and we understand that the most effective tool in combating sexual violence is comprehensive education and training. By starting discussions and trainings about sexual violence as early as possible, we will have the highest level of success identifying, addressing and preventing assault and harassment.




ECONOMIC SECURITY

Aging, Women and Poverty: Over the next two decades, the older adult population in California will nearly double and older women are at the greatest risk of spending their golden years in poverty. This will have demonstrative effects on nearly every aspect of our society. In California, one in five women age 65 and older live in poverty and are twice as likely as men to do so, and nearly 40 percent have a substandard income level. CWLC remains committed to the ongoing fight for women’s access to the supports and services they need to be able to age in dignified and healthy environments no matter their socio-economic status.

Legal Housing Clinics: Last year, CWLC partnered with the Venice Community Housing Corporation to assist beach city residents with free legal housing guidance about their rights as tenants. The majority of people seeking assistance are aging women who often have endured lifelong pay inequity which hurts women and families, and contributes to economic insecurity. CWLC is proud to provide legal resources to those affected by the Los Angeles housing crisis.

SUPPORTING OUR WOMEN VETERANS

CWLC continues our work to strengthen the system of care for women veterans, particularly women who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Women veterans often face significantly higher barriers to accessing housing, baseline services, benefits and other support needed to successfully transition back into civilian life. These challenges increase the likelihood they will become homeless; therefore, creating a safe housing community is of critical importance to their health and well-being.

Women who are MST victims often find it difficult to live in an environment surrounded by men because it is reminiscent of the extreme gender imbalance they experienced while serving our country. Additionally, due to the demographics of the veteran population, veteran-specific housing is often overwhelmingly male. Safety and security concerns in veteran-only housing facilities often preclude women veterans from accessing housing which contributes to the cycle of homelessness and housing insecurity for women veterans. CWLC continues to advocate for gender specific accommodations for women veterans, including housing women together and maintaining increased security measures.

THE ALLIANCE: STATE-BASED ADVOCATES FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS & GENDER EQUALITY

CWLC has partnered with four legal non-profits focusing on advancing women’s and LGBTQ rights. The four organizations are Legal Voice (Washington state), Gender Justice (Upper Midwest), Southwest Women’s Law Center (New Mexico), and the Women’s Law Project (Pennsylvania). The Alliance was formed to strengthen our collective capacity to advance women’s rights, reproductive justice and LGBTQ equality, and produce clear wins on critical issues at the state level. Collectively, the Alliance currently has a presence in 11 states, using the law to promote justice for women, LGBTQ persons and families.