Tax Filing Resources

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
IRS Free File Guided Tax Preparation Options
IRS Free File Online: Browse All Offers – 11 IRS Free File Online providers
IRS Free File Online: Lookup Tool – Answer questions to find an IRS Free File provider

Answers to Your Tax Questions – E-file.com
NYS Department of Taxation
Manage Benefits – Social Security Administration
Preparing for Tax Time – Women’s Institute for Financial Education
Tax Planning Tips – American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
CWNY’s YouTube Playlist of our “Tax Prep” webinars

Equal Pay Day

Tuesday, March 14, 2023, National Equal Pay Day, is the symbolic date when full-time working women’s wages equal the wages earned by full-time working men in the prior year. Calculated on 2021 data, that’s 84 cents on the dollar nationally, and 88.7 cents for New York — PowHer New York

Equal Pay Day 2023 Toolkit – PowHer New York
Equal Pay Day – National Committee on Pay Equity
Equal Pay Day – National Today
Equal Pay Data about the Gender Pay Gap – LeanIn.org

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

“More men are diagnosed with lung cancer each year, but more women live with the disease. The rate of new cases in 2015 showed that men develop lung cancer more often than women (57.8 and 45.9 per 100,000, respectively).”
“The rate of new lung cancer cases (incidence) over the past 42 years has dropped 36 percent for men while it has risen 84 percent for women. In 1975, rates were low for women, but rising for both men and women. In 1984, the rate of new cases for men peaked (102.1 per 100,000) and then began declining. The rate of new cases for women increased further, did not peak until 1998 (52.9 per 100,000), and has now started to decline.”
– National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute

Lung Cancer Fact Sheet – American Lung Association
Lung Cancer Morbidity and Mortality Trend Report – American Lung Association
Lung HelpLine: 1-800-LUNGUSA (1-800-586-4872)
Lung Cancer Screening – American Lung Association
“Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in women.” – verywell health
Lung Cancer: The Disease May Present Differently in Women – verywell health
“Looking at men and women together, the most common symptoms of lung cancer are a cough, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, weight loss, and a loss of appetite. But in women, fatigue and shortness of breath usually occur first (Latimer & Mott, 2015)” – verywell health
Lung Cancer: The Disease May Present Differently in Women – verywell health
Symptoms of Lung Cancer in Women– verywell health
Lung Cancer – Patient Version – National Cancer Institute
Dialogue Between Two Women Lung Cancer Survivors: video 24 minutes – American Association for Cancer Research
Lung Cancer: Diagnosis, Treatment Principles, and Screening – American Family Physician (AFP)
What Women Need To Know About Lung Cancer – Penn Medicine
Lung Cancer Awareness – Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Key Lung Cancer Statistics: How Common Is Lung Cancer? – American Cancer Society
National Lung Cancer Screening Day November 12, 2022 – National Lung Cancer Round Table

September is Uterine/Endometrial Cancer Awareness Month

Uterine/Endometrial Cancer

“Endometrial cancer begins in the layer of cells that form the lining (endometrium) of the uterus. Other types of cancer can form in the uterus, including uterine sarcoma, but they are much less common than endometrial cancer.” – U.S. National Library of Medicine, medlineplus.gov

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (Spanish)
Mayo Clinic
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Cleveland Clinic
Medline Plus
National Cancer Institute
CancerCare
Foundation for Women’s Cancer

Uterine Sarcoma

“Uterine sarcoma is rare, making up less than 4 percent of all cancers of the uterus. Only 1,200 women are diagnosed with this disease in the United States each year.” — Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

July 30th is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

“Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labor and sex.  Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. Traffickers the world over continue to target women and girls. The vast majority of detected victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and 35% of those trafficked for forced labor are female. Conflict further exacerbates vulnerabilities, with armed groups exploiting civilians and traffickers targeting forcibly displaced people.” – United Nations

May 2022 Report Summary Exploitation and Abuse:  The Scale and Scope of in Southeastern Europe – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
May 2022 Report Exploitation and Abuse:  The Scale and Scope of in Southeastern Europe – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
Human Trafficking – Interpol
Slavery Still Exists – International Justice Mission
Ending Human Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation – Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)
Human Trafficking Victims Rescue – Our Underground Railroad
End Sexual Exploitation of Children – ECPAT International
End Child Trafficking – ECPAT USA
Ukraine Crisis Creates New Trafficking Risks – United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)
Fighting Human Trafficking in Ukraine – The Borgen Project
The 1.5 million children who fled Ukraine are at risk of human trafficking – National Public Radio (NPR)
CWNY Resources: January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month

June 23 is the Anniversary of Title IX

Center for the Women of New York celebrated the 50th anniversary of Title IX June 23, 2022

On June 23, 1972, Title IX of the education amendments of 1972 is enacted into law. Title IX prohibits federally funded educational institutions from discriminating against students or employees based on sex. It begins: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” As a result of Title IX, any school that receives any federal money from the elementary to university level—in short, nearly all schools—must provide fair and equal treatment of the sexes in all areas, including athletics. – History.com

How Title IX Transformed Women’s Sports

Before Title IX, few opportunities existed for female athletes. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which was created in 1906 to format and enforce rules in men’s football but had become the ruling body of college athletics, offered no athletic scholarships for women and held no championships for women’s teams. Furthermore, facilities, supplies and funding were lacking. As a result, in 1972 there were just 30,000 women participating in NCAA sports, as opposed to 170,000 men.

Title IX was designed to correct those imbalances. Although it did not require that women’s athletics receive the same amount of money as men’s athletics, it was designed to enforce equal access and quality. Women’s and men’s programs were required to devote the same resources to locker rooms, medical treatment, training, coaching, practice times, travel and per diem allowances, equipment, practice facilities, tutoring and recruitment. Scholarship money was to be budgeted on a commensurate basis, so that if 40 percent of a school’s athletic scholarships were awarded to men, 40 percent of the scholarship budget was also earmarked for women. – History.com

Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act

Title IX, also called Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, clause of the 1972 Federal Education Amendments, signed into law on June 23, 1972, which stated that “no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” In 2002, following the death of its coauthor, U.S. Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink, Title IX was officially renamed the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. – Britannica

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
NCAA kicks off Title IX at 50 celebration
Title IX at 50: Celebration Website
Title IX Frequently Asked Questions

50th Anniversary of Title IX Coming in June of 2022 – National Federation of State High School Associations
Celebrating Half a Century of Varsity Women’s Athletics – Yale Daily

U.S. Department of Justice
Title IX
Title IX Legal Manual

The 14th Amendment and the Evolution of Title IX – U.S. Courts
Title IX Protects Students from Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity – U.S. Department of Education 

National Women’s Law Center
Education & Title IX
Women in Sports: The Good, The Bad, The Sexist

Know Your IX
Empowering Students to Stop Sexual Violence
Exercising Your Title IX Rights

CWNY National Girls and Women in Sports Day Resources – Center for the Women of New York (CWNY)

Threats to Title IX – 2020 Changes to Sexual Harassment

In May 2020 the Department of Education completed the process of creating new regulations detailing how educational institutions must comply with Title IX as it relates to sexual harassment. . . . gender equity experts and those working with victims of sexual harassment have criticized the new regulations. These experts argue that the regulations will limit both the types of sexual harassment students are protected from under Title IX and the rights afforded to survivors of sexual harassment. In response to the regulations, four groups filed lawsuits against the Department of Education in an attempt to stop the regulations from going into effect. Emily Young, a Feminist Majority Foundation Intern, compiled a report analyzing both the 2020 regulations and the lawsuits against them in order to spread awareness about the impact of the new regulations and the work being done to stop their implementation. The report, titled “The 2020 Title IX Regulations and the Lawsuits Against Them: An Analysis and Comparison“, provides background on why the new regulations were created and breaks down many of the changes the new regulations make to previous Title IX policy. – Feminist Majority Foundation

More than four-in-ten women familiar with Title IX say it has not gone far enough when it comes to increasing opportunities for women in sports. – Pew Research Center

What’s at Stake in the Coming Title IX War – Institute for Family Studies
Title IX revolutionized female athletics but advocate say it’s been a constant fight – National Public Radio (NPR)
“A Title IX Conundrum: Women in Coaching” – New-York Historical Society
Women’s Sports Expert Nicole LaVoi Talks Unintended Consequences of Title IX – The Springfield Student: Springfield College Online News

Title IX and Sex Discrimination

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces, among other statutes, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Title IX states:

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” — U.S. Department of Education – Office for Civil Rights

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a comprehensive law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in all programs or activities in all federally funded educational institutions including high schools and middle schools. Since the enactment of Title IX, there has been a dramatic increase in interscholastic and intercollegiate athletic opportunities for girls and women. Few laws have influenced high school sports more than Title IX. — National Federation of High School Associations

The senior woman administrator is the highest-ranking female in each NCAA athletics department or conference office. The purpose of the SWA designation is to promote meaningful representation of women in the leadership and management of college sports. — National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)


June is Men’s Health Month

June is Men’s Health Month, a national observance used to raise awareness about health care for men and focus on encouraging boys, men and their families to practice and implement healthy living decisions, such as exercising and eating healthy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men in the United States, on average, die 5 years earlier than women and die at higher rates from the three leading causes of death, heart disease, cancer and unintentional injuries. During Men’s Health Month, we encourage men to take control of their health, and for families to teach young boys healthy habits throughout childhood. – Men’s Health Month – Office of Minority Health, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

Over 6 million men suffer from depression per year. Male depression often goes undiagnosed. Men are more likely to report fatigue, irritability, loss of interest in work or hobbies, rather than feelings of sadness or worthlessness. – Men’s Mental Health – Mental Health America

Resources on Cancers in Men

Resources on Supporting Loved Ones with Cancer

Memorial Day

Military Women’s Memorial
The Difference Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day – Military.com
National Moment of Remembrance and the Children Who Inspired It
Honoring the Women Who Sacrificed – Herdacity
Register HERstory at Military Women’s Memorial
Women and Memorial Day – National Women’s History Alliance
Memorial Day – US Dept. of Veterans Affairs
Veterans and Military Families Programs & Events – Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Greenwood Memorial Day Concert 
Origins of Memorial Day – U.S. Army Center of Military History 
National Veterans Memorial and Museum – Women’s History Month 
Memorial Day – Library of Congress 
Memorial – National Association of Black Military Women 
Memorial Day: Women Veterans Tell Their Stories Through Poetry – PBS