The Costs of Reproductive Health Restrictions: An Economic Case for Ending Harmful State Policies

At the national level, state-level abortion restrictions cost $105 billion USD per year—by reducing labor force participation and earnings levels and increasing turnover and time off from work among women ages 15 to 44 years.

New analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) shows that restrictive reproductive health policies put economies and business environments at unnecessary risk and limits women’s economic potential.

IWPR President & CEO Named World's 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine

In May 2020, after women accounted for more than 11 million jobs lost in one month of pandemic-related shutdowns, Mason sounded the alarm about the looming (and, a year later, still ongoing) economic disaster for women. “We should go ahead and call this a ‘shecession,’” she told the New York Times, finding a viral catchphrase for what President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have since recognized as “a national emergency.”

Biden’s Proposed Child Care Plan Will Save Families $96 Billion in Year 1, $957B Over 10-years

New analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research shows childcare investments proposed in the American Families Plan will save families $96 Billion in Year 1 and $957 Billion over 10-years.

Families in states with high childcare costs will benefit most from the plan. Single mothers with children will also see significant relief and savings.

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Mission

We win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, we build evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families.

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Build(ing) the Future: Bold Policies for a Gender-Equitable Recovery

This report, Build(ing) the Future: Bold Policies for a Gender-Equitable Recovery, provides a framework for shared prosperity and equitable economic recovery. It examines the impact of the economic crisis and recession on working women, their families, and communities. It provides a blueprint for a gender-equitable recovery that is not only about meeting the immediate economic needs of women and families, but lays out a long-term strategy for creating stronger systems and institutions that reflect the experiences and contributions of women.

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Read the Institute's editorials and timely analysis on social, economic, and policy issues affecting women and girls.

IN THE LEAD

THE WEEKLY GENDER WAGE GAP BY RACE AND ETHNICITY: 2020

As lowest paid women lost most jobs, the gender wage gap for full-time workers shrank for all women and men, and by race & ethnicity. The gender wage gap in weekly earnings for full-time workers in the United States narrowed between 2019 and 2020, from 19.5 percent in 2019 (a gender earnings ratio of 81.5%) to 18.7 percent in 2020 (a gender earnings ratio of 82.3%)

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IWPR NATIONAL POLL FINDS AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE, THE ECONOMIC RECESSION, AND JOBS TOP PRIORITIES FOR WOMEN FOR BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND CONGRESS

As President Biden sprints toward the 100-day mark, a new survey shows that women believe the new Administration and Congress should focus on healthcare, getting the economy under control and job creation. Their top priorities are highly influenced by their experience during the pandemic and the economic downturn.

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IWPR Prepares COVID 19 and Recovery Rapid Response

In these unprecedented times, the IWPR is committed to communicating and addressing the challenges women are facing. IWPR’s new research outlines how policymakers can address the immediate and long term needs of women, their families, and their communities in policy responses to the pandemic.

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Three Years After #MeToo, the Movement Remains Critical

Three years ago, the #MeToo movement exposed an open secret: Powerful people, mostly men, were perpetrating abuses with impunity, trusting that the culture of silence around sexual violence would prevent survivors and witnesses alike from leveraging accusations that could bring them down.

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