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10 Things You Can Do to Power a Woman’s Nation

Ten steps you can take to help women push back from the brink.

1. Get The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink at www.ShriverReport.org.

Read it, discuss it, implement it, and pass it on.

2. Get smart.

Build a stable foundation for your future by putting college before kids. Women with only a high school diploma are three to four times more likely to live on the financial brink than those with a college degree.

3. Invest in yourself.

Today’s women and girls need to think of themselves as providers in their families, not provided for. Increase your own earning power, learn about savings plans, and be financially savvy.

4. Use your economic power.

You can hold businesses accountable with your money. Be an informed and influential consumer by supporting companies that create a more conscious, caring, compassionate workplace for their employees.

5. Engage men as allies.

These issues are everyone’s issues. Fathers, sons, and brothers are part of the solution and many are poised to partner.

6. Vote.

But don’t give your vote away. Make candidates earn it. Vote for women and men who want to modernize the nation’s relationship to women and their families. Support laws that can add half-a-trillion dollars to the national economy by closing the wage gap.

7. Be a 21st-century “boss,” even at home.

Recognize the power you have to impact women. Provide benefits and workplace supports for your child care providers and people who help you with elder care. Offer sick days, be flexible with schedules, leave good tips for waitresses and room attendants when you travel, and educate yourself and your employees about government programs that can help.

8. Finance women’s work.

Invest in women entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations that support, promote, and respect modern American families. See a list of organizations and resources at www.ShriverReport.org.

9. Mentor and motivate girls.

Be a Life Ed teacher to the girls in your life. Teach them about the importance of making smart decisions—financial, personal, and educational—that enhance their self-esteem and their career prospects. Foster the mindset that girls must invest in themselves and that they have the power to succeed.

10. Be an architect of change.

We can push back from the brink.

Read the executive summary for The Shriver Report here.

The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. A full list of supporters is available here. American Progress would like to acknowledge the many generous supporters who make our work possible.