HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0992.008 2018-2020 i
I
i
I
From: Springer Jane
Sent: Tuesday, July 07, 2020 10:29 AM
To: Council Testimony
COUNTY CLERK
Subject: Resolution 680-20: Testimony in Support COUNTY OF I,I
RECEIVED
Timeja.Lq
Aloha,
Date JUL 0 7 2020
I am writing in support of RESO 680-20.
As the former chair of the Hawaii Chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus,I am familiar with the ways seemingly straight-forward
economic decision-making can inadvertently marginalize women. While the majority of mothers in Hawaii County work full-time jobs (pre-
COVID),they remain the primary caregivers of young children and kupuna. Women are three times more likely than men to shoulder the
burden of leaving work, expending sick or vacation days if they have them,to care for family members. With schools closed,the women
who dominate the service and health care industries--jobs that are not done remotely--face a difficult choice. School and dayeare is
unavailable, but they are being asked to return to work--sometimes on unreasonably short notice. For example the state judiciary reportedly
Just recalled workers with two days'notice. It's unlikely that the decision maker there felt it necessary to consider the fact that many
employees--disproportionately women--would have to scramble to find almost non-existent childcare or elder care within 48 hours. Yet a
woman's failure to report back to work could result in the loss of a job while being disqualified from unemployment insurance.
This resolution asks lawmakers to take the time to look at the specific challenges faced by women during the COVID crisis,via a series of
well-researched publications,and to consider the ways in which county policy can uplift--or inadvertently hann-the women of our
county. When women make up a significantly greater portion of the newly unemployed,when a policy is three times more likely to
negatively affect a woman, or when the county provides a benefit that is significantly more likely to be accessible to a man, equal treatment
under the law requires that that disproportionate impact be recognized and seriously weighed.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Springer Kaye
No.
Ref.To:—
Ref.
:e a ate JUL 0 8 2920
1