Shortly after Obama's win, I heard someone lament that this country is going to hell in a hand basket. Well if this is hell, give me a tall glass of ice water.

This morning, Obama announced Sonia Sotomayor as his pick to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat that will be left empty by David Souter. She has more experience than any other current member of the court at the time of their nomination and is said to be most in touch with what's happening in the lives of ordinary citizens. She is also the first Latino and if confirmed would be only the third woman to serve as Justice. To read the rest of the article, click here. 

When attempting to determine the main causes of women's persistent -- and disproportionate - poverty in the United States, the persistent wage gap between men and women always emerges as a key factor. While the important legislation around paycheck fairness effectively addresses one side of the coin - that women must be paid fairly for their work - the stubborn problem of occupational segregation must be tackled as well. With women accounting for the seven of every ten of the nation's minimum and below-minimum wage workers, paycheck fairness alone will not level the playing field; we must also ensure that women have equal access to skilled trades and other non-traditional work which provide decent wages and economic security for them and their families.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act infrastructure projects present a perfect opportunity to ensure women - who make up 49.1% of the workforce and more than 50% of the taxpayers who will bear the cost of this investment - have access to the training opportunities and decent jobs that will emerge from that funding. However, with money pouring in to states quickly, and federal authorities encouraging states to spend the money as fast as possible, we risk recreating a status quo in which primarily white men benefit from this type of work, while women and communities of color are excluded from valuable opportunities to learn a life-long trade and prepare for the green jobs of tomorrow.  

Some states, like New York, have set up web sites and other mechanisms to track ARRA-funded projects, but these laudable efforts do not track the all-important details of who is getting these jobs. In order to capitalize on this opportunity and open doors for populations - like women - that have been excluded from this work, the White House and individual state governments must outline hiring goals for contractors and dedicate monitors to seeing that those goals are met.

With billions of dollars soon to pour into projects around the country, the time for action is now; if the White House and other government entities hesitate, we risk losing one of the best opportunities for tackling a trenchant cause of women's poverty in America, and we sacrifice a truly sustainable recovery for a politically expedient, and less-equitable, substitute.

Irasema Garza is president of Legal Momentum, the nation's oldest legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls. An attorney with a broad range of experience as public servant and labor advocate, Ms. Garza is a trailblazer who has, throughout her career, championed the interests of women and economically disadvantaged ethnic and racial groups by working for economic equality.