March 8 Will Be Int'l Women's Day In New Jersey

NEW JERSEY — March 8 will be permanently designated as “International Women’s Day” in New Jersey, as signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday.

Murphy signed bill AJR140 into law Monday, which designated March 8 for that day. Here is a summary of the bill: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/...

The bill aims to address gender inequality in New Jersey and the fact that women were disproportionally hurt by the business shutdowns — often forced by state goverment — and job loss in the pandemic. U.S. Department of Labor statistics showed that women nationwide lost 156,000 jobs while men gained 16,000 jobs in the same period. Women of color, single moms and poorer women were among the largest groups that suffered job loss in the pandemic, according to the bill.

The bill "guarantees the basic human rights of women and girls, promotes the meaningful and significant participation of women in all aspects of society, encourages equitable access to healthcare for all women and girls, and supports policy initiatives that seek to achieve gender equality and empower women worldwide," said Murphy's office in a press release.

Primary sponsors of the bill include Assemblywoman Gabriela Mosquera (Camden County), and Senators Sandra Cunningham (Hudson County) and Linda Greenstein (Middlesex County), all Democrats.

However, the bill had support from an equal number of Republican state lawmakers.

Here are all the bill's sponsors: Rep. Gabriela Mosquera [D], Sen. Sandra Cunningham [D], Sen. Linda Greenstein [D], Rep. Eliana Marin [D], Rep. Nancy Munoz [R], Rep. Beth Sawyer [R], Rep. Michele Matsikoudis [R], Rep. Claire Swift [R], Rep. Bethanne McCarthy Patrick [R], Rep. Aura Dunn [R], Rep. Kim Eulner [R], Rep. Victoria Flynn [R], Rep. DeAnne DeFuccio [R]. Rep. DiAnne Gove [R] and Rep. Marilyn Piperno [R].

No male lawmakers in Trenton signed on to support the bill.

“It’s important to celebrate how far we have come in the fight for gender equality and reflect on the work we still must do,” said prime sponsor Assemblywoman Mosquera. “By designating March 8 as International Women’s Day in New Jersey, we can create a space to raise awareness for women’s issues, highlight the achievements of women in our state, and reaffirm our commitment to empowering women and girls.”

Get great local news. Sign up to get Patch emails: https://patch.com/subscribe Contact this Patch reporter: Carly.baldwin@patch.com