Barbara Gault Ph.D.

About Barbara Gault

Barbara Gault, Ph.D., is the former Executive Vice President of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Her work covers a wide range of issues, including college access and affordability, job quality, paid leave, poverty, political engagement, and the need for better early care and education options for working parents. She founded and lead IWPRs Student Parent Success Initiative, and has authored dozens of reports and publications, including Improving Child Care Access to Promote Postsecondary Success Among Low-Income Parents, Resilient and Reaching for More: Challenges and Benefits of Higher Education for Welfare Participants and Their Children, " and Working First But Working Poor: The Need for Education and Training Following Welfare Reform. She has testified in Congress on low-income women’s educational access, has spoken and delivered keynote presentations in venues throughout the country, and appears in a range of print, radio and television media outlets. Prior to joining IWPR, Dr. Gault conducted research at the Office of Children’s Health Policy Research, and served as a staff and board member of organizations promoting human rights in Latin America. She received her Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Coalition on Human Needs, and is a Scholar in Residence at American University.

Using Research on the Status of Women to Improve Public Policies in the Middle East and North Africa: A Capacity-Building Toolkit for Nongovernmental Organizations

This toolkit provides methods, techniques and tips for individuals and organizations to undertake and use research on the status of women as a mechanism for positive change in the lives of women, their families and communities.

By Jane Henrici, Layla Moughari, Barbara Gault and Denise Baer|2021-01-23T02:37:12-05:00October 16, 2012|IWPR|Comments Off on Using Research on the Status of Women to Improve Public Policies in the Middle East and North Africa: A Capacity-Building Toolkit for Nongovernmental Organizations

Gender Segregation in Fields of Study at Community Colleges and Implications for Future Earnings

DOWNLOAD REPORT Postsecondary education yields myriad benefits, including [...]

Low Literacy Means Lower Earnings, Especially for Women

Appropriate literacy levels are crucial for both men and women seeking education and employment opportunities, but low literacy skills disproportionally hurt women’s chances of earning a sustaining wage.

By Kevin Miller, Jane Henrici, Barbara Gault and Jennifer Herard|2020-11-11T23:28:24-05:00February 7, 2012|IWPR|Comments Off on Low Literacy Means Lower Earnings, Especially for Women

Denver Paid Sick Days Would Promote Children’s School Success

Paid sick days for working parents can enhance children’s school success. Parents face a difficult choice if their children get sick when they lack paid sick days: staying home with the child and missing pay (and possibly facing discipline at work); sending the child to school sick, which compromises their school performance and spreads illness to others; leaving the child at home alone, putting the child at risk; leaving the child with an older sibling who in turn must stay home from school; or trusting the child to a temporary caregiver. Each of these scenarios has potential costs for schools or for child well-being.

By Rhiana Gunn-Wright, Kevin Miller, Barbara Gault and Sarah Towne|2020-11-23T01:41:29-05:00October 25, 2011|IWPR|Comments Off on Denver Paid Sick Days Would Promote Children’s School Success

Improving Child Care Access to Promote Postsecondary Success Among Low-Income Parents

This report examines the role of child care as a crucial support for parents who pursue postsecondary education.

By Kevin Miller and Barbara Gault|2020-12-23T00:03:09-05:00March 22, 2011|IWPR|Comments Off on Improving Child Care Access to Promote Postsecondary Success Among Low-Income Parents

2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area

In 2003, Washington Area Women’s Foundation released A Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area, with the goal of presenting a clear picture of the lives of women and girls in the region—the District of Columbia, Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties in Maryland, Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia, and the City of Alexandria, Virginia—that could be used as a basis for action.

By Barbara Gault and Layla Moughari|2020-11-22T01:28:12-05:00September 30, 2010|IWPR|Comments Off on 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area

Meaningful Investments in Pre-K: Estimating the Per-Child Costs of Quality Programs

Policy makers around the country, seeing the far-reaching benefits of quality pre-kindergarten (pre-k) for three, four, and five-year-olds, are committing substantial resources to expanding these programs.

By Barbara Gault, Anne Mitchell, Erica Williams, Olga Sorokina and Judy Dey|2021-02-16T03:42:09-05:00March 31, 2008|IWPR|Comments Off on Meaningful Investments in Pre-K: Estimating the Per-Child Costs of Quality Programs

Resilient and Reaching for More: Challenges and Benefits of Higher Education for Welfare Participants and Their Children

This report details the inspiration, struggles, and perseverance of those pursuing a college degree while receiving welfare in California and the benefits that education brings them and their children.

Older Women’s Economic Status in Texas

Social Security is a crucial source of income for Texas’s seniors, and especially so for women. Fewer women than men have pension income. The majority of Texas’s senior women live alone. Many seniors in Texas continue to work for pay. Women are more likely than men to be poor or disabled. Older African American and Hispanic women are the most likely to be poor and the least likely to have income from assets such as savings accounts or stocks and bonds.

By Barbara Gault, Heidi Hartmann, Tori Finkle and Sunhwa Lee|2020-11-11T22:35:15-05:00December 31, 2006|IWPR|Comments Off on Older Women’s Economic Status in Texas