2023 Policy Focus Areas
- Support, Protect, and Empower Survivors of Violence in San Francisco
- Fight for Racial and Social Justice
- Respond to and Prioritize the Unique Needs of Black, Brown, AAPI, Indigenous, and Low-Income Women During the Economic Crisis
- Ensure Women are Treated Equally
2023 Policy Focus Areas
Support, Protect, and Empower Survivors of Violence in San Francisco
SFWPC stands with survivors of violence. We believe that everyone has a role to play in preventing, interrupting, and addressing violence in all its forms. While all women continue to experience high rates of sexual violence – one in four have experienced rape or attempted rape during their lifetimes – rates of violence against women of color are particularly high. In recent years, this has been especially true for AAPI and trans women. A 2022 report found that 38% of AAPI women experienced sexual harassment, while 2021 was the deadliest year for trans and gender non-conforming people in the U.S. on record. We are committed to shining a light on this issue throughout our community and within San Francisco’s political environment to demand accountability and justice. We recognize that there is no ‘one size fits all solution’ as violence impacts marginalized communities in different ways. We will uplift survivors’ voices and their leadership in our democratic process as we advocate together for policies that serve their unique needs.
SFWPC advocates for policies that:
- Protect and support survivors, and remove abusers from positions of power within our community.
- Uplift survivors’ voices in community decisions and foster their leadership in the political process.
- Support sexual violence prevention and expand resources to ensure women’s safety.
- Reduce the risk of experiencing gendered violence, crime, or harassment so that all women feel safe interacting in the public space.
- Respond to the myriad, and often overlapping, issues that survivors face, including policies related to safety, housing, economic stability, and mental health
Sources:
- THE STATE OF SAFETY FOR ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER WOMEN IN THE U.S.
- Anti-Trans Violence and Rhetoric Reached Record Highs Across America in 2021
- Me Too Movement International - Statistics
Fight for Racial and Social Justice
Centuries worth of systemic racism have created unacceptable inequities in San Francisco’s communities, economy, and institutions. Black, Brown, AAPI, and Indigenous women have suffered an inordinate amount of oppression due to racist policies and practices. The horrors of brutality from law enforcement and fatal shootings targeted against people of color cannot be ignored. BIPOC communities routinely receive more jail time and harsher punishments; 36% of people currently on death row in California are Black and although San Francisco’s population is 5% Black and 40% White, the jail population is approximately 48% Black and 40% White. Moreover, in the not-so-distant past, the City has instituted policies aimed at demolishing entire neighborhoods, displacing communities of color, and resettling them in industrial areas where there are environmental hazards and pollution. We must create programs that provide equal opportunities for disadvantaged communities and reverse trends of systemic racism. Measures must be taken to ensure that policies and programs explicitly include marginalized and disadvantaged populations to advance their well-being and equality in this City.
SFWPC advocates for policies that:
- Address and help to eradicate systemic racism experienced by BIPOC women in our communities, workplaces, transportation accessibility, healthcare systems, housing, schools, politics, and institutions.
- Uplift BIPOC women's voices in community decisions and the political process, and create a pipeline for BIPOC women leaders.
- Address racial disparities in the criminal justice system for BIPOC women.
- Promote equitable dispensation of justice for all, including reversing the trends of disproportionate incarceration, racially motivated policing strategies, and racially biased, discriminatory, and mandatory minimum sentencing.
- Are thoroughly researched to understand the racial impact of policies before they become law. Racial impact statements are a tool for lawmakers to evaluate potential disparities of proposed legislation prior to adoption and implementation. They can be instrumental in understanding the unintended consequences of a policy proposal.
Sources:
- Death Penalty Racial Demographics
- Infections and Deaths: Latinx and Black Communities Disproportionally Affected
- How Urban Renewal Tried To Rebuild The Fillmore
- How ‘Urban Renewal’ Decimated the Fillmore District, and Took Jazz With It
- The Sentencing Project: Racial Impact Statements
Respond to and Prioritize the Unique Needs of Black, Brown, AAPI, Indigenous, and Low-Income Women During the Economic Crisis
In times of economic crisis, Black, Brown, AAPI, Indigenous, and low-income women disproportionately bear the brunt of its impact. During the early months of the pandemic, for instance, Black, Latinx, and immigrant women lost their jobs at especially high rates, which further exacerbated the economic insecurity they faced before COVID-19. In 2022, as the job market fluctuated, BIPOC communities and families were affected most by job instability. While the nation continues to grapple with historic inflation and the cost of living continues to rise in San Francisco, we must take steps to address this worsening economic divide for women of color. This burgeoning economic insecurity manifests in housing, education, childcare, employment, and equal pay – to name a few. What’s more, means of survival are often criminalized, like sex work. While people of all backgrounds engage in sex work, Black and Brown women are more often jailed. We’ve seen examples of this in response to the increase of sex work on Capp Street in early 2023. Women who are turning to sex work for their livelihood are being criminalized by the police, while the City barricades the area, which can prevent them from making ends meet with few alternatives. We support the economic empowerment and autonomy of all women, especially those most impacted by the economic crisis in our country and city. We must protect and expand policies that support marginalized women during this crisis with the ultimate goal of creating lasting economic equality.
SFWPC advocates for policies that:
- Protect and expand economic opportunities for women of color and their families, especially in moments of economic crisis
- Fund programs and housing that support the economic empowerment and stability of women of color
- Address the unique intersections of racial, gender, and economic inequality that women of color face in recessions
Sources:
- COVID-19 Recession Further Undercuts Economic Security for California Women
- In Good Times and Bad, California’s Black and Latinx Workers Bear the Burden of Unemployment
- Cop Watch: Sex traffic to be blocked on SF’s Capp St
Ensure Women are Treated Equally
Many issues continue to limit women’s economic opportunity and gender equity in the City of San Francisco. Women working full-time still typically make 82 cents on the dollar as compared to men. Women of color experience even wider gaps, Black women are typically paid 63 cents, Native American women 60 cents, Latinx just 55 cents, and Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid as little as 52 cents for every dollar paid to non-Hispanic white men. This is disparately true in the Bay Area, particularly for women of color, regardless of educational attainment. On boards, commissions, and private workplace structures, women are overwhelmingly attributed roles that are subordinate to men or absent from leadership positions entirely. Many women go without proper healthcare. Women’s reproductive rights have come under attack. And many women are struggling by having to choose between raising a family and their own career and development. We understand that a broad range of issues must be addressed in order to ensure greater equality of economic, social, political, and educational opportunities for women and girls. Policies must be aimed at eradicating unequal treatment of women by addressing unequal workplace practices, unequal economic practices, and ensuring that women have equal access to education, particularly in fields where women have been historically excluded. Policies must promote and support women’s advancement in society by addressing the hardships that are unique to their experience.
SFWPC advocates for policies that:
- Establish equal pay, workplace protections, and childcare policies for parents and pregnant people that provide flexibility and support for working parents.
- Increase representation of women on boards, commissions, and in other leadership roles where important decisions are being made.
- Fund programs that create equal access to education and career development for women and girls.
- Expand access to healthcare for women and girls, especially reproductive healthcare.
- End the practice of gender-based product pricing or the “pink tax” women pay for female-marketed products, while similar goods for men aren’t as expensive.
Sources:
