The WEP initiative’s new website features videos, storybook, and data on invisible barriers for immigrant women
NEW YORK — Upwardly Global, the leading organization dismantling employment barriers for immigrant, refugee, and asylee professionals, announces the public launch of its Women’s Economic Power (WEP) initiative, addressing the often-overlooked systemic barriers faced by immigrant women to realize their economic power and gain equitable access to employment opportunities.
With support from Pivotal Ventures, the WEP initiative advocates for policies and programs that invest in affordable and accessible childcare infrastructure for immigrant families. It is also expanding immigrant women’s access to credentials and social capital to enhance their economic power. Its key pillars include workforce development, policy change, and paradigm shift.
The WEP initiative’s new website is the central hub for video, story, data, and news content that sheds light on the intersectional challenges immigrant women face in the U.S. workforce, including:
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- “Bound by Care: Stories of the Childcare Crisis for Immigrant Women” storybook: Amplifies the unique stories of three immigrant women who are balancing careers and motherhood.
- “Intersections: Immigrant Women in the Workforce” video series: Features the story of Farzana, an Afghan women’s rights advocate and refugee, in conversation with Upwardly Global President and CEO Jina Krause-Vilmar.
- Childcare Recommendations to the White House Task Force on New Americans: Provides crucial insights on how to improve affordable and accessible childcare for immigrant families in the U.S.
“We know that women face extra hurdles in the job market, but too many programs ignore this. Upwardly Global intends to lead by example,” says Krause-Vilmar. “Upwardly Global is setting a new standard for ourselves, changing the game not just in programs and policies, but in shifting perceptions. Culturally, women’s labor is undervalued and the investments we make in our workforce reflect that. This isn’t just about redesigning our programs or eliminating barriers in policy; it’s also about shifting how we value women.”
In the U.S., mothers are four times more likely than fathers to miss work due to childcare, accounting for 82% of childcare-related work absences. Immigrant women face further barriers to careers, including cultural adaptation, financial instability, and social isolation.
“The childcare problem is preventing me from pursuing my career, my profession, and what I dream of doing in the United States,” says Maryam, a refugee job seeker from Afghanistan. “I envisioned something different for myself, but now, I find myself stuck at home, only able to take local English classes.”
For more information and to explore the WEP microsite, visit upwardlyglobal.org/wep. Contact zuhal@upwardlyglobal.org for inquiries.
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About Upwardly Global
Upwardly Global’s mission is to dismantle employment barriers for low-income immigrant, refugee, and asylee professionals and to advance their inclusion into the U.S. economy. Since 2000, Upwardly Global has empowered unemployed or underemployed newcomers with the skills, career coaching, and social capital needed to rebuild their lives and careers. Learn more at UpwardlyGlobal.org.