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"As a working mother, I know that balancing a career and a family is
a very difficult thing to do," said Mrs. Blagojevich. "As the first
lady of Illinois, I'm honored to try and help other working moms
accomplish this demanding task. We have done a lot in Illinois
during the past three years to empower women in the workplace, but
there is still more that we can do, and organizations such as Women
Employed are key allies in helping us achieve equality for working
women." "Illinois has become a leader on issues of importance to
working women with the increase in the state's minimum wage, the
Equal Pay Act and expansion of health care for children," said Anne
Ladky, executive director of Women Employed. "We look forward to
more progress through continuing improvements in public policy and
greater voluntary action on the part of employers to make sure that
all working women can advance economically and care for their
families."
Mrs. Blagojevich is a licensed real estate broker and appraiser.
Before becoming the state's first lady, Mrs. Blagojevich worked in
real estate for more than 15 years, and for the past five years she
has owned and operated her own real estate company on Chicago's
North Side.
Women Employed,
founded in 1973 and based in Chicago, is a leading national voice
for improving the economic status and working conditions of American
women. Women Employed is focused on policies to increase women's
wages and benefits, so that all women workers can achieve their
aspirations and care for their families.
Since taking office in 2003, Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has taken
numerous steps to improve conditions for working women, including
the following:
: The
governor's All Kids program makes Illinois the only state in the
country to offer affordable, comprehensive health care coverage
for every uninsured child in the state. Of the 250,000 children
in Illinois without health insurance, roughly half come from
working and middle-class families who earn too much to qualify
for programs like KidCare but not enough to afford private
health insurance. Through All Kids, comprehensive health
insurance will be available to every uninsured child at rates
their parents can afford.
Equal Pay Act:
Illinois' Equal Pay Act prohibits employers with four or more
employees from paying unequal wages to men and women doing the
same or substantially similar work that requires equal skill,
effort, responsibility and is under similar working conditions.
If the employer is found guilty of pay discrimination, they are
required to make up the wage difference to the employee and may
be subject to civil fines of up to $2,500 per violation plus
legal costs. Complaints may be filed directly at the Illinois
Department of Labor or by calling a toll-free line, 1 (866)
EPA-IDOL [1 (866) 372-4365].
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 |
 : Since taking office in January 2003,
the governor has expanded health care coverage to over 400,000
Illinoisans. The Kaiser Family Foundation has ranked Illinois
first in the nation for ensuring parents have access to health
care and the second-best state in the nation for providing
health care to children who need it.
Women's health :
Since taking office, Blagojevich has been a proven leader for
women's health, increasing funding each year. In addition, the
governor expanded a program to provide free breast and cervical
cancer screenings to uninsured women. The program has already
provided over 98,000 free screenings. Last summer, the governor
also signed several pieces of women's health legislation,
including a law requiring insurance companies to cover screening
for breast cancer earlier in a woman's life and a law requiring
insurers to provide coverage for ovarian cancer screening tests
for women who are at risk. The governor also created the
Illinois Healthy Women program, which has offered family
planning and other health care services to over 167,000 women in
the state who were otherwise uninsured.
Making college
tuition more affordable: Blagojevich recently introduced the
MAP Plus program to help Illinois parents afford the rising
costs of higher education. MAP Plus will provide a
$500-per-student grant for sophomores, juniors and seniors from
families with incomes less than $200,000 who attend college in
Illinois but did not receive MAP grants. In total, 225,000
students will benefit from the creation of MAP Plus and the
additional funding for MAP. Funding for the MAP program this
year is increased by $34.4 million -- increasing MAP grants to
their statutory maximum of up to $4,968 -- which will help more
students and their parents afford college.
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Preschool for All:
Preschool for All makes Illinois the only state in the
nation to provide access to high-quality preschool for every
3-year-old and 4-year-old child in Illinois. The program, which
guarantees 190,000 Illinois children the chance to attend
preschool, will reach working families who are not able to
afford the high cost of private preschool. Funding for preschool
programs will increase by $45 million this year, allowing 10,000
more children to get an early start on their education. Students
who attend preschool are 20 percent more likely to graduate from
high school, 41 percent less likely to need special education
and 42 percent less likely to be arrested for committing a
violent crime. Studies also show that for every dollar spent on
early childhood education, society saves at least $7 through
decreased reliance on social services. Participation in the
program for parents is voluntary.
[News release from the governor's
office] |
