Jeff Hayes, Ph.D.

About Jeff Hayes

Jeff Hayes is a sociologist and Scholar in Residence at American University and works on research examining women’s and men’s employment, job quality, and economic security over the life course, including retirement. He currently oversees IWPR’s work analyzing usage and cost of paid family and medical leave in the United States and provides technical assistance to several states and localities considering how they might improve workers’ access to paid leave for their own health needs or to care for family members. Dr. Hayes has been interviewed on paid leave, income security, and job quality issues in The Washington Post, MarketWatch, Huffington Post, CNN Money, CNBC, and other outlets around the country. Dr. Hayes has testified on the costs of paid leave proposals before the New York City Council, the DC city council, and the Maryland House Economic Matters committee. He is currently serving on the Maryland Task Force to Study Family and Medical Leave Insurance. He served on the Commission to Modernize Social Security and has provided technical assistance to members of the US Congress on including credits for caregiving in Social Security. Dr. Hayes is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. As an experienced survey researcher, Dr. Hayes advises on IWPR’s survey work and conducts major surveys such as the IWPR/Rockefeller Survey of Economic Security. Prior to joining IWPR, Dr. Hayes worked at the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Harvard Project on Global Working Families, analyzing how labor conditions affect children’s health and development around the world, and taught research methods at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He holds Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Religious Studies from the University of Virginia.

Women and Men Share Stronger Job Gains in December—Women’s Unemployment Rate Is at 4.8 Percent; Men’s at 5.2 Percent

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) analysis of the January employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) finds that women gained 141,000 jobs and men gained 151,000 for a total of 292,000 jobs added in December.

The Union Advantage for Women

This briefing paper presents an analysis of women’s union membership and the union wage and benefit advantage for women by state and by race/ethnicity. It is based on an analysis of the Current Population Survey. Wage and benefit data are for all workers covered by a union contract, irrespective of their membership in a union.

How the New Overtime Rule Will Help Women & Families

This report, a collaboration between the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) and MomsRising, is an analysis of the U.S. Department of Labor’s proposed change to the overtime threshold and how this change will affect working women.

By Heidi Hartmann, Jeff Hayes, Hailey Nguyen, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner and Hero Ashman|2020-11-15T00:07:54-05:00August 11, 2015|IWPR|Comments Off on How the New Overtime Rule Will Help Women & Families

Moynihan’s Half Century: Have We Gone to Hell in a Hand Basket?

In The Negro Family: The Case for National Action, published in 1965, Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously argued that the fundamental obstacle to racial equality was the instability of Black families, and especially the prevalence of single-mother families.

By Jeff Hayes, Chandra Childers, Heidi Hartmann and Philip Cohen|2020-12-14T07:42:03-05:00March 5, 2015|IWPR|Comments Off on Moynihan’s Half Century: Have We Gone to Hell in a Hand Basket?

Paid Sick Days Access Varies by Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Job Characteristics

Paid sick days bring multiple benefits to employers, workers, families, and communities at large.

By Jeff Hayes, Barbara Gault and Rachel OConnor|2021-01-23T17:29:33-05:00July 18, 2014|IWPR|Comments Off on Paid Sick Days Access Varies by Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Job Characteristics

How Equal Pay for Working Women would Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy

Persistent earnings inequality for working women translates into lower pay, less family income, and more poverty in families with a working woman, which is of no small consequence to working families.

How Education Pays Off for Older Americans

This report presents findings from an Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) analysis of the 2005-2009 American Community Survey data regarding the earnings of older men and women with different levels of education.

By Heidi Hartmann and Jeff Hayes|2020-11-04T17:29:54-05:00December 31, 2013|IWPR|Comments Off on How Education Pays Off for Older Americans

Gender Poverty Gap Grows in Recovery: Men’s Poverty Dropped Since Recession, Women’s Poverty Stagnates

The persistent gap in male and female poverty has been growing during the economic recovery, with 16.3 percent of females, and 13.6 percent of males living in poverty in 2012.

By Jeff Hayes, Barbara Gault and Heidi Hartmann|2021-01-23T16:12:06-05:00September 20, 2013|IWPR|Comments Off on Gender Poverty Gap Grows in Recovery: Men’s Poverty Dropped Since Recession, Women’s Poverty Stagnates