The Politics of Parenthood

The Politics of Parenthood

An event for Vote Mama Foundation's newest report and Jessica Calarco's book, "Holding it Together: How Women Became America's Safety Net."

By The Century Foundation

Date and time

Thursday, September 26, 2024 · 9 - 11am EDT

Location

Thomas Jefferson Building

10 First Street Southeast Room LJ-162 Washington, DC 20003

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event
Eventbrite's fee is nonrefundable.

About this event

Other countries have safety nets. The United States has women.” —Jessica Calarco

How did we get here? And what will it take to make the policy changes that American women need to stop being the safety net and start thriving?

Join Vote Mama Foundation and The Century Foundation on Thursday, September 26, at the Library of Congress for the launch of Vote Mama's newest report, Politics of Parenthood: State Legislatures 2024, featuring a discussion with author Jessica Calarco on her new book, Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.

We will share the latest data on the representation of moms in state legislatures across the country and lead a hopeful discussion on the breakthrough structural solutions that will allow us not only to increase representation for women and moms but also finally invest in the care economy and other family-friendly policies that America needs.

Coffee and breakfast will be provided.

All public areas of the venue are accessible. Accessible restrooms are located in the building.

If you would like to request accommodations to ensure maximum inclusion or have questions about accessibility, please note in your RSVP.

Speakers:

  • Representative Jennifer McClellan (D-VA)
  • Jessica Calarco, professor of sociology, University of Wisconsin and author of Holding It Together: How Women Became America's Safety Net
  • Liuba Grechen Shirley, founder & CEO, Vote Mama Foundation
  • Julie Kashen, director, women's economic justice and senior fellow, The Century Foundation
  • Victoria Pelletier, national partnerships manager, RepresentWomen and Portland City Councilor

Presented by Vote Mama Foundation and The Century Foundation.

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FIRST-COME, FIRST-SEATED. RSVP is required. We generally overbook to ensure a full house. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 minutes before the start time. After the event starts all registered seats are released regardless of registration, so we recommend that you arrive early. Please do not hold seats. Please note: policy is subject to change.

Notice of Filming and Photography

When you attend this event, you enter an area where photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By entering the event premises, you consent to such recording media and its release, publication, exhibition or reproduction.

*COVID-19 PUBLIC NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER: By registering for this event, you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. By attending an in-person program at The Century Foundation, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and agree not to hold The Century Foundation, its trustees, officers, agent, and employees liable for any illness or injury.

**Masking is encouraged but not required.

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Speaker Bios

Rep. Jennifer McClellan entered the U.S. Congress in 2023 after winning a special election to replace the late Congressman A. Donald McEachin. A lifelong Virginia native, McClellan earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond, where she served as a Charter member of the Rho Rho Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She then obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law. McClellan was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005 and served in that post until she was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 2017, where she succeeded A. Donald McEachin after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives. In Congress, she sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. Throughout her eighteen sessions in the Virginia General Assembly, McClellan passed over 370 pieces of legislation, including landmark bills to protect and expand voting rights, combat climate change, preserve reproductive health care, and enhance workers’ protections and labor rights. McClellan lives in Richmond with her husband, David Mills, and their two children, Jackson and Samantha.

Jessica Calarco is a Sociologist and Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an award-winning teacher, a leading expert on inequalities in family life and education, and the author of Holding it Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net (Portfolio/Penguin, 2024). Her previous books include Qualitative Literacy: A Guide to Evaluating Ethnographic and Interview Research (with Mario Small; University of California Press, 2022), Negotiating Opportunities: How the Middle Class Secures Advantages in School (Oxford University Press, 2018), and A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum (Princeton University Press, 2020). Jessica has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and CNN. She also writes the Hidden Curriculum newsletter and is a mom of two young kids.

Liuba Grechen Shirley is the Founder and CEO of Vote Mama Foundation, which works to transform the political system by dismantling barriers for mothers running for and serving in elected office, normalizing candidacies of mothers with young children, and promoting truly family-friendly legislation. Liuba's career highlights include her historic congressional campaign for New York’s 2nd District, where she achieved the highest vote share of any Democrat against the incumbent in 25 years, raised over $2 million, and made history as the first woman to receive federal approval to spend campaign funds on childcare. Liuba has been recognized as one of Long Island’s 100 Most Powerful People and featured in major media outlets like CNN, The Today Show, and TIME Magazine. She received an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA in Politics and Russian from NYU. Liuba resides on Long Island with her husband and three children.

Julie Kashen is a senior fellow and director for women’s economic justice at The Century Foundation, with expertise in work and family, caregiving, economic mobility, and labor. Kashen has more than two decades of experience forwarding these issues in federal and state government and through the nonprofit sector, including helping to draft three major pieces of national legislation. She is an active member of many child care, paid leave, and equal pay coalitions and tables. Kashen has been affiliated with The Century Foundation since 2015. Kashen holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s with highest honors in political science from the University of Michigan.

Victoria Pelletier is the National Partnerships Manager at RepresentWomen, and is based in Portland, Maine. She is currently serving her first term as a Portland City Councilor, and is the second Black woman in her city’s history that has been elected to this seat. She specializes in racial equity, community engagement and advocacy, and pushes for intersectionality in all levels of government. Prior to joining RepresentWomen, Victoria worked at Portland Empowered, amplifying the voices of racial and ethnic minorities as they influenced policy change within Portland Public Schools. Victoria also worked as a racial equity project manger for a local government agency, where she collaborated with over 30 Maine cities and towns and helped to foster social change within their municipalities.

Organized by

The Century Foundation is a progressive, independent think tank that conducts research, develops solutions, and drives policy change to make people’s lives better. We pursue economic, racial, gender, and disability equity in education, health care, and work, and promote U.S. foreign policy that fosters international cooperation, peace, and security.

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