Women and girls from some communities – especially rurally located women; Black women and women of color; Indigenous women; queer and trans women; unhoused and formerly incarcerated women; women with disabilities – are disproportionately harmed by systems and policies. Misogyny, racism and white supremacy, transphobia and homophobia, classism, and ableism are pervasive in Maine and US systems.

We advocate for policies that recognize and dismantle white supremacy and other forms of injustice. We support population-level data collection and analysis that disaggregates by gender, race, and county and policies that are led for and by impacted populations.

The ability to access employment, services, education, and public systems is essential for the wellbeing of our community; we support policies that keep Mainers connected, including public transportation, transportation infrastructure, and broadband access for all.

Finally, though women are half of Maine’s population, they are only one in three Legislators, and one in four members of Maine’s Superior Court. We advocate for systems and policies that advance equitable representation across all three branches of government, and in all levels of leadership, both public and private; and for policies and systems which protect and expand fair voting for all.

Women are significantly more likely to live in poverty, to earn less income for the same work (and to earn less over a lifetime as a result of unpaid caregiving), and to rely on the social safety net to meet their families' basic needs. We also know that people who experience economic instability or who are unhoused are also more likely to experience violence, trauma, and poor health outcomes.

We support policies and systems that ensure that Mainers can earn a livable wage, access affordable education & job training programs, and that there is a strong social safety net to support families and communities who struggle to make ends meet. We support workplace and caregiving policies in our state and nation that reflect the realities of families in the 21st century, including paid sick leave, paid medical and family leave, affordable and high-quality childcare, and flexible family-friendly workplaces at all wage levels.

Physical, mental and emotional, and reproductive health is essential to overall wellbeing. Still, for many in Maine the full spectrum of health care, from oral health to reproductive health, is not accessible or affordable.

We support policies that ensure that every Mainer can access quality, affordable, and gender-responsive mental and physical health care, including the full range of reproductive health care, from comprehensive sexuality education to abortion.

Gender-based discrimination continues to interrupt the ability of women and girls, femmes, and trans and queer people to access equitable and safe employment, housing, services, and education.

We support policies that ensure that Mainers will not be discriminated against on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, age, ability, or religion; systems which ensure accountability for discriminatory practices; and full access to civil liberties for all Mainers.

Women experience higher rates of violence and trauma (and sexual violence especially impacts some subpopulations of women, namely trans women, Indigenous women, and people with disabilities). Trauma combined with poverty, mental health needs, substance use disorder (as well as racism and classism) have combined to dramatically increase the number of incarcerated women in Maine in the last decade – which itself is an experience of violence.

We advocate for policies that promote safety and healing, and that prevent and respond to violence, that provide multiple pathways to justice for survivors, and that reduce the use of and impact of incarceration on all communities.