WFA Grantee Spotlight: Legal Voice
Advancing Economic Justice and Workplace Equity for Women
After requesting to work from home following the birth of her child, a woman in a Washington software firm was fired, despite excellent performance reviews, because the company believed it was not possible for a woman to work from home if she had small children.
With funding from WFA, Legal Voice is fighting to shift policies so no woman has to endure this type of discrimination in the workplace. Legal Voice spearheaded a multi-pronged effort to promote systemic policy change aimed at establishing legal rights and family-friendly policies necessary to make every workplace equitable for women.
The successes are impressive. Legal Voice lead an effort on advancing family-friendly workplace policies by organizing quarterly conference calls with women's law groups around the country to share strategies on developing legislation. They succeeded in saving the Family Leave Insurance Program—a program that, once funded, will provide up to five weeks of time off with a weekly benefit of $250 to all parents with a newborn or newly adopted child. And, they testified at hearings, ultimately strengthening employment protections for survivors of gender violence and ensuring that Washington has the toughest laws in the country.
Lisa Stone, Executive Director of Legal Voice, says funding from WFA has been invaluable: “Funding from WFA is a bright spot for us – most foundations shy away from advocacy, but changing laws is our mission, so we're truly grateful. But it’s more than just support for advocacy. We enjoy working with WFA because we are able to connect with other organizations serving women and girls, and stay abreast of the most pressing legal issues their clients are experiencing.”
