Trends in Employment and Earnings
Women’s status in the area of employment and earnings has improved on two indicators since the publication of IWPR’s last national report on the status of women, the 2004 Status of Women in the States, and remained unchanged or declined on two others. Women’s median annual earnings for full-time, year-round work in 2013 ($39,157) were nearly identical to their earnings for similar work in 2002 ($39,108 when adjusted to 2013 dollars). The gender earnings ratio improved during this time from 76.6 to 78.3 percent, narrowing the gender wage gap by 1.7 percentage points, and the share of women working in professional or managerial occupations grew from 33.2 to 39.9 percent. Women’s labor force participation rate, however, declined from 59.6 in 2002 to 57.0 percent in 2014.
EARNED SICK DAYS IN MARYLAND WOULD BENEFIT ECONOMY, REDUCE HEALTH CARE COSTS
Providing earned sick days to workers in Maryland is expected to save employers in the state $2.5 million per year, largely due to reduced costs in turnover, according to an analysis by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). The state’s proposed “Earned Sick and Safe Time Act” would also prevent lost worker income, reduce private and public health care expenses, and reduce expenditures on public assistance.
Paid Sick Days in New York City Would Lower Health Care Costs by Reducing Unnecessary Emergency Department Visits
In New York City, 50 percent of working New Yorkers, or approximately 1,580,000 employees, lack access to paid sick days.
Access to Paid Sick Leave Would Save New Yorkers Nearly $30 Million in Public Health Costs
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has released a new fact sheet showing that universal access to paid sick days in New York City would reduce health care costs by $39.5 million annually, including $28.4 million in public health care dollars.
