YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Georgia Women’s Policy Institute Ensures a Seat at the Table for Women
YWCA Greater Atlanta is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. The association has four core programs that have been curated to ensure positive change for women and their families in the Atlanta community. One of these programs is YWCA Greater Atlanta’s Georgia Women’s Policy Institute (GWPI), focused on educating cohorts of passionate women about the state policy change process and developing them into lifelong advocates for women and their families in Georgia.
Why state level policy?
Engagement in the state policymaking process is critical to making Georgia a safer and more equitable place for women and their families. Many issues that women and families face in Georgia are systemic, meaning policies and procedures have been put into place within our governmental and societal systems that make life more challenging for marginalized groups.
To solve these issues, those policies must be dismantled and replaced with ones that will have positive impacts on the lives of women and their families. State-level policies often shape people’s daily lives more than federal ones; because they determine how local and state resources are used and the state’s values and priorities.
It is imperative that individuals engage in the policy-making process. Democracies rely on citizens and advocates to keep the government accountable to its people. By forming coalitions, many individuals may wield greater influence over issues they care about.
And why women?
Legislators cannot be experts on every topic. It is vital that the people who are most directly impacted have “seats at the table” so that they may have the chance to speak about how proposed policies could work in their lives. Unfortunately, women are disproportionately affected by nearly every issue, from health and safety to economic empowerment and social justice. We also recognize that black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) women and members of the LGBTQIA+ community are experiencing intersecting discrimination based upon their layered identities. Women, and all people who experience systemic oppression and discrimination must be at the forefront of decisions that are made about them and their lives.
Women advocates and politicians don’t only create better policies for themselves, but for all of society. Studies have shown that women advocates and elected officials are more willing to work towards consensus and across party lines, as well as being more willing to compromise for the greatest good.1 Women leaders and advocates also often prioritize policies that focus on family needs including healthcare, rehabilitation versus punishment; and center the needs of minority groups.
GWPI was designed to improve policy in Georgia and inspire advocates to participate in the related change process. Through our trainings and experiential learning, fellows have the chance to develop policy advocacy skills, gain knowledge about the Georgia legislature; and overcome perceived barriers and increase confidence participating in the policy process.
Georgia Women’s Policy Institute has a history of success. Over the years, our fellows have joined allies and advocates to help pass a variety of bills that improve the lives of Georgians, including:
HB 129, which expanded TANF eligibility to pregnant women
SB 338, which extended postpartum Medicaid eligibility from six months to one year
SB 146 which gave public sector workers three weeks of paid parental leave
SB 201 & SB 61 which allowed people to use their earned sick leave to care for family members
HB 843, which permitted family violence victims to terminate a lease
Georgia Women’s Policy Institute has also inspired fellows to run for office or serve as elected officials, including State Senator Kim Jackson, State Representative Kim Schofield, and former State Representative Bee Nguyen. These individuals, and other women leaders are part of a great step towards more equitable representation. Women currently make up 51.2% of Georgia’s population, but only 34.3% of the state legislature.2 We encourage more women to get involved in the policy process, as a strategic pathway towards better policy and truly representative government in Georgia.
Hilary Clinton said, “The annot be tre democracy unless women’s voices are heard.”3 Join YWCA Greater Atlanta in our efforts to ensure that women are fully empowered to participate in democracy.
We are recruiting applicants for the 2024-2025 cohort of Georgia Women’s Policy Institute until April 1st. We encourage women who would like to learn more about and get involved with state policy advocacy to apply! Applications can be found here.
Any questions about Georgia Women’s Policy Institute or our advocacy work may be addressed to Advocacy Program Manager, Elle Knott at elle.knott@ywcaatlanta.org.
If you are interested in supporting YWCA Greater Atlanta’s mission to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, please make a donation here. Thanks in advance for your support!