Equitable Work and Wages

We believe that economic justice begins with fair compensation for all women, and we build evidence to support equal pay policies, livable
minimum wages, unions and labor rights, and better of job quality for women and their families.

Breadwinner Mothers by Race/Ethnicity and State

With the large majority of U.S. mothers in the labor force and a steady decline in the real earnings of all workers over recent decades, families are increasingly relying on mothers’ earnings for economic stability. In the United States, half of all households with children under 18 have a breadwinner mother, who is either a single mother who heads a household, irrespective of earnings, or a married mother who provides at least 40 percent of the couple’s joint earnings.

By Julie Anderson|2025-01-27T19:24:24-05:00September 8, 2016|Equitable Work and Wages|0 Comments

Paid Sick Days Access and Usage Rates Vary by Race/Ethnicity, Occupation, and Earnings

Utilizing data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), this briefing paper estimates the proportion of public and private sector workers ages 18 and older with access to paid sick days, and their use of paid sick days, by race and ethnicity, immigration status, occupation, earnings, job level (supervisor/nonsupervisory status), and other demographic and occupational characteristics.

By Jenny XiaJeff HayesBarbara Gault and Hailey Nguyen|2025-01-27T19:24:25-05:00February 17, 2016|Equitable Work and Wages|0 Comments

Testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole regarding Bill 21-415, Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015

Testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole regarding Bill 21-415, Universal Paid Leave Act of 2015, presented on January 14, 2016.

By Heidi Hartmann and Jeff Hayes|2025-01-27T19:24:25-05:00January 14, 2016|Equitable Work and Wages|0 Comments

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.

By Jeff Hayes|2025-01-27T19:24:25-05:00January 8, 2016|Equitable Work and Wages|0 Comments

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.

By Julie AndersonAriane Hegewisch and Jeff Hayes|2025-01-27T19:24:25-05:00August 12, 2015|Equitable Work and Wages|0 Comments

Women in the Construction Trades: Earnings, Workplace Discrimination, and the Promise of Green Jobs

Based on the 2013 IWPR Tradeswomen Survey, an exploratory study of women working in construction trades, this report provides insights to working conditions for women in the construction industry, examines their earnings and employment experiences since the end of the Great Recession, and analyzes women’s motivations for pursuing green training and its impact on their employment.

By Ariane Hegewisch and Brigid O’Farrell|2025-01-27T19:24:25-05:00April 13, 2015|Equitable Work and Wages|0 Comments