National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality

  • The Biden-Harris Administration

Summary

America is unique among the nations of the world because we were built on an idea: that every one of us is equal in dignity and deserves to be treated equally. Though we have never fully lived up to that idea—not at the time of our founding, nor in the centuries since—it is the defining hallmark of our country that we have never stopped reaching for it. From the Emancipation Proclamation, to the passage of the 19th Amendment, to the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act, to the fight for reproductive rights and
marriage equality—and countless movements and victories before and since—America has been strengthened through the years by our tireless pursuit of greater equity for all.

 

This document, the first-ever United States government strategy on gender equity and equality, is a part of that noble American tradition. It comes at an inflection point for the economic security, safety, health, and well-being of women and girls in our nation and around the globe. COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing economic, health, and caregiving crises that disproportionately impacted women and girls long before the pandemic struck. Following the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression, women’s participation in the American labor force plummeted to its lowest level in over 30 years. Rates of gender-based violence have risen significantly, and racial and ethnic inequity has deepened. Globally, the pandemic has fueled increased economic insecurity for women and girls, and in far too many places—including, far too often, here in America — their fundamental rights remain at risk.

Explore More

All Research