IWPR is growing
IWPR is Growing! Come join our talented pool of experts!

IWPR is growing and adding new staff every quarter! The summer of 2023 saw us bring on six new team members and we're just getting started. Be sure to check out our slate of open positions and join our team today!

Fellowships

Careers

Fellowships

IWPR offers a variety of roles for economists at different levels of education and experience, including post-baccalaureate, doctoral, and post-doctoral fellowships.

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UPDATE: IWPR’s search for a new President and CEO has begun! For more information about the position and how to apply, please click here. And please help us spread word about this exciting position by sharing the link with your networks far and wide!

It’s an exciting time to work at IWPR. Join our brilliant team of researchers, policy analysts, and administrative professionals on the frontlines of change for women, girls, and communities across the country.

IWPR policy on remote work and our hybrid workplace model

IWPR is an equal opportunity employer. We consider applicants without regard for race, ethnicity, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. IWPR’s work is supported by foundation grants, government grants and contracts, donations from individuals, and contributions from organizations. IWPR is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

IWPR seeks to observe the following operating principles:

  • As an institution IWPR strives to work toward organizational sustainability to ensure maximum benefit for women and families over the long term
  • As a partner, IWPR strives for respectful collaboration, open communication, and on-time delivery of its promised contributions and focuses on forging common purpose on behalf of all women while acknowledging differences among them
  • As a place to work, IWPR strives to build an atmosphere in which staff take pleasure in doing their work, share in the joy of discovery and policy impact, and are valued fairly for their contributions; where initiative, innovation, and risk-taking are encouraged; and where staff members enjoy equal opportunity and are enabled to discuss freely their concerns about their working environment

In 2020, IWPR partnered with Working Ideal to conduct a compensation study to help ensure that our compensation program is in alignment with our values and the market. While many choose to work at mission-driven organizations because of their commitment to social change, we know fair and equitable compensation is key to attracting and retaining top talent. Recent research shows that traditional education and experience-based hiring and compensation models are a barrier to inclusive hiring. This equity issue is rooted in the educational attainment gap that exists by race and ethnicity. We hope that IWPR’s new experienced-based compensation framework is consistent and promotes equity and transparency for existing IWPR employees, applicants and new hires. Click HERE  to view the IWPR compensation program

IWPR Internship Program

IWPR is not currently offering internships for 2023.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), located in Washington, D.C., conducts and communicates research to inspire public dialogue, shape policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of women of diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and experiences. Throughout the internship program, our interns will learn about the fundamentals of the non-profit sector, grow in their professional development, and gain insight into policy research on intersectional issues that impact women’s economic justice. IWPR interns work closely with staff and assist in a number of activities—including providing research, outreach, and administrative support—to help further IWPR’s mission and goals.

IWPR offers internships in two areas: Research and Communications Internships are paid and the time commitment is flexible. Start and end dates for the semester program are relatively flexible and typically run through the standard spring and fall university semesters. IWPR also offers full-time internships over the summer that typically last for a period of 10 weeks.

We welcome all interested applicants, including international students and college students of all levels and majors, to apply. IWPR is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. Individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

While the internship will be an opportunity for professional development, applicants should consider the following general requirements:

  • A passion for women’s issues and economic justice
  • Excellent writing and communication skills
  • Good computer skills
  • Prior office experience is desirable, as interns are responsible for a minimal amount of general office work (e.g. answering phones, photocopying, filing, and maintaining the library)

Research Areas for summer 2021:

  • Student Parent Success Initiative: Increasing access to higher education and non-traditional jobs for low-income women and women with children.
  • Status of Women in the States: The economic status of women and girls, women of color, and immigrant women across the United States.
  • Center on the Economics of Reproductive Health: Promoting public understanding and awareness of the link between access to reproductive health care services for women and their long-term economic security and well-being.
  • Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and the Economy: Exploring the areas of race, ethnicity, gender, and the economy using intersectional and racial equity frameworks to better understand the experiences of women of color, their families, and communities in the economy and society.
  • Research & Action Hub: Supporting research and innovative policy solutions to accelerate women’s economic, political, and social power in society and the workforce.

To learn more about our research areas, click here.

How to Apply

To apply to for a Research & Administrative or Communications internship, applicants must submit all application materials in a single PDF file that includes:

  • a cover letter;
  • a resume, and
  • a writing sample (3-5 pages).

If applying for a research internship, please indicate which research area(s) (see above) you are most interested in working under.

Please specify the internship for which you are applying in the e-mail subject line and send to Toccaro Barkley, Office Manager, at internships@iwpr.org.

While IWPR accepts applications on a rolling basis, it recruits and fills positions when available. Check this page for postings to see when IWPR is recruiting. The deadline to submit applications for summer 2021 internships is April 25, 2021.

Please direct any questions to Toccaro Barkley, Office Manager, at internships@iwpr.org. Applicants will be notified directly if they are selected for an interview.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research conducts and communicates research to inspire public dialogue, shape policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of women of diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and experiences. We are the leading think tank in the United States applying quantitative and qualitative analysis of public policy through a gendered lens.

IWPR advances women’s status through social science research, policy analysis, and public education. We develop new policy ideas, encourage enlightened public debate, and promote sound policy and program development. Our work also helps to change minds and improve the practices of institutions. IWPR operates on the principle that knowledge is power and that social science evidence based on strong data and analysis, compellingly presented and systematically disseminated, makes a difference in moving public policy.

IWPR offers a variety of roles for economists at different levels of education and experience.

Post-Baccalaureate

Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellowship 

In honor of pioneering feminist economist Mariam K. Chamberlain (MKC), IWPR offers an MKC Fellowship in public policy to a promising scholar each year. The Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellow contributes to a variety of research projects to inform policies affecting women. This is a full-time position for one academic year, and may transition to a permanent role at IWPR at the end of the year pending adequate funding and satisfactory performance.

IWPR is not currently accepting applications for the Mariam K. Chamberlain Fellowship.

Doctorate

Doctoral Fellows are students currently pursuing a PhD in Economics. This position is part-time during the academic year, and potentially full-time during the summer. Fellows have typically completed their Ph.D. coursework and are currently working on their dissertations. Candidates are selected based on common research interests with senior researchers at IWPR and potential to contribute to existing or upcoming funded projects. Several of these fellowships are earmarked for Ph.D. students from the Department of Economics in the in the College of Arts and Sciences at American University. This program is facilitated by IWPR’s partnership with the Economics Department’s Program on Gender Analysis in Economics.

Doctoral Fellowship in Gender Policy Analysis in Economics  |

Meet our past doctoral fellows.

Heidi Hartmann Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Heidi Hartmann Post-doctoral Fellowship

IWPR offers a full-time, two-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship for those who have recently completed their Ph.D. in economics. Fellow are expected to spend 50% of their time at IWPR working on funded projects that align with their own research interests; the remaining 50% time is reserved for publishing dissertation articles and advancing an independent research agenda. Fellows have the opportunity to collaborate with and develop a mentoring relationship with senior researchers.

IWPR is not currently accepting applications for the Heidi Hartman Post-Doctoral Fellowship.

Available Staff Positions

To learn more and/or apply, please select from the list of available positions below:

Note: Please submit your resume, writing sample, and a thoughtful, relevant cover letter. Incomplete applications will not be considered.