A new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) and Oxfam America finds that more than one in four employed women in the United States are concentrated in low-wage “women’s work”—such as teaching young children, cleaning, serving, and caring for elders—jobs that are done primarily by women, pay less than $15 per hour, and provide few benefits. Workers in these female-dominated jobs, who are disproportionately women of color, earn less than men working in jobs with similar requirements for education, skills, stamina, and hours.

During November’s National Apprenticeship Week, a consortium of 10 organizations across the country announced the launch of the National Center for Women’s Equity in Apprenticeship and Employment, part of a new $20.4 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to expand apprenticeship opportunities around the country, with a particular emphasis on expanding access to apprenticeships among women, people of color, and other underrepresented populations. The consortium includes organizations representing nearly every staffed tradeswomen’s organization in the country and national subject matter experts.