Florida State Senate Candidate Olysha Magruder Vows to Fight for Equality

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - March 8, 2018 - PRLog -- Dr. Olysha Magruder, State Senate Candidate for District 8, released this statement on International Women's Day:

"This year's theme for the International Women's Day is #PressforProgress, which is very appropriate because much progress has been made, and there remains much more progress to make.

"According to the 2017 World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report, the outlook for gender parity is very dim. They estimate that, worldwide, we are 200 years away from true gender parity. We cannot afford to wait that long. At home, the United States ranks 49 out of 144 countries on gender parity. This is unacceptable, for a country founded on equality, we should lead the world in gender parity.

"But progress has been made. For example, in 2009, the first bill President Obama signed into law was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This law fixed the mistake the Supreme Court made when it ruled against Ms. Ledbetter by fixing the date the statute of limitations start to the last paycheck received instead of the first.

"However, despite that progress, women in Florida are still only paid 87 cents for every dollar paid to men, mothers are only paid 73 cents to the dollar and for women of color it is even worse, only 61 cents to the dollar.

"This year, like the last, women came out in record numbers to march against the inauguration of Donald Trump and they didn't just protest in the United States. Women and men all over the world took to the streets to show their solidarity against sexism and chauvinism and to show unity in the face of misogynistic attacks.

"Over the past year, the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have shown all industries in America that sexual harassment will no longer be tolerated. no matter how powerful a boss may be, no matter what position they hold, no one should be demeaned and made to feel unsafe at work.

"We can't just hope for gender equality; we must fight and work for gender equality. We must put our values into action by passing laws that address the gender pay gap, and protect and respect women's healthcare choices. As our State Senator, I will always fight for fairness, equality, and increased safety and security for everyone."

###

Dr. Olysha Magruder is mom, a former public school teacher, educator, & Progressive Democrat. She is fighting for District 8 and is ready to rock the FL State Senate. She's fighting for our public schools, common sense gun safety, our environment, & home rule.

More info at: http://www.voteolysha.com