For Immediate Release: April 17, 2024
Contact: Virginia Lucy, media@napawf.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published its final regulations for implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

PWFA requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant and postpartum workers so they are able to work safely without compromising their health, including abortion care. The final rule implementing the law provides greater detail and guidance to employers and workers.    

“Workers affected by pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions deserve to live and work with dignity, and without being forced to make the decision between their health and the health of their families and their financial stability,” said Sung Yeon Choimorrow, NAPAWF’s executive director. “We applaud the EEOC for issuing a final rule that helps ensure these long-overdue protections that prioritize the health and safety of workers.”

Many Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women (AANHPI) women already face an uphill battle when seeking financial and economic stability. AANHPI women are overrepresented in many frontline and low-wage jobs, including retail, restaurant, and personal care economy. Additionally, AANHPI women, on average, earn 80 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men. Disaggregated data reveals that many women experience much wider wage gaps, some Bangladeshi women receive as low as 49 cents for every dollar. 

“The economic realities for AANHPI women workers can be stark,” said Choimorrow. “Implementing greater protections in the workplace – such as those in the PWFA – can allow millions of AANHPI women to thrive while being able to prioritize their health and their families. We look forward to working with the EEOC on ensuring these new requirements are publicized to our communities in our languages.”  

# # #

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) is the only multi-issue, progressive, community organizing and policy advocacy organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls in the U.S. NAPAWF’s mission is to build collective power so that all AAPI women and girls can have full agency over our lives, our families, and our communities.