Education and Career AdvancementAdministrator2025-01-30T16:13:59-05:00

Education and Career Advancement

Education is a cornerstone of economic security, and we are committed to breaking down barriers to advancement. We research student parents, career training opportunities through apprenticeships and workforce development, and other policies that reduce student debt and make college more accessible for women, particularly women of color.

FPA launch
IWPR Federal Policy Agenda to Advance Gender Equity Now Live

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is proud to launch its Federal Policy Solutions to Advance Gender Equity agenda—a transformative blueprint outlining our long-term policy vision through actionable recommendations to improve women’s lives and create lasting, systemic change.

CFS Launch
IWPR Launches Connect for Success Initiative to Expand Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Community College Students

IWPR has proudly announced the launch of its new initiative, Connect for Success—a groundbreaking initiative aiming to significantly increase community college students' access to high-quality, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care services. The initiative starts with awards to eleven grantees across the country working on the ground to provide students with the support they need to succeed.

Black Single Mothers in College
Understanding the Needs of Black Single Mothers in College

IWPR spoke with 25 Black single mothers as they strive for their college degree about the challenges they face and the programs that help them balance family with their academic careers.

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Parents in College By the Numbers

DOWNLOAD REPORT Two-generation (2Gen) programs and policies create opportunities that allow adults and the children in their lives to build on each other’s successes. Ensuring that both parents and children have access to affordable, high-quality educational opportunities, for example, is a core component [...]

By Lindsey Reichlin CruseTessa HoltzmanBarbara GaultDavid Croom and Portia Polk|April 11, 2019|

Single Mothers with College Degrees Much Less Likely to Live in Poverty

DOWNLOAD REPORT Single Mothers with College Degrees Much Less Likely to Live in Poverty Earning a postsecondary degree is a well-established pathway out of poverty, and degrees are especially life-changing for women raising children on their own. Analysis by the Institute for Women’s [...]

By Lindsey Reichlin CruseJessica Milli and Barbara Gault|July 30, 2018|

Investing in Single Mothers’ Higher Education: Costs and Benefits to Individuals, Families, and Society

Postsecondary education is a reliable pathway to economic security and is increasingly important to securing family-sustaining employment. For single mother families, who make up a growing share of U.S. families, and who are especially likely to live in poverty, college attainment is a game changer for improving family well-being and meeting the demands of a changing economy.

By Barbara GaultJessica Milli and Lindsey Reichlin Cruse|June 6, 2018|

IWPR Update: Research Supports Wins for Austin Workers and Student Parents

IWPR Analysis Informs Historic Sick Days Ordinance in Austin In February, the Austin City Council passed an ordinance to require the city’s employers to provide paid sick days. The ordinance’s historic passage makes Austin, Texas, the first city in the South to guarantee paid sick [...]

By IWPR|March 5, 2018|