Equitable Work and Wages2025-02-03T13:47:21-05:00

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 wages, unions and labor rights, and better job quality for women and their families.  

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.

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Shortchanged and Underpaid: Black Women and the Pay Gap

The COVID-19 pandemic and related recession has both highlighted the persistent inequalities that Black women face in the labor market and exacerbated them. Black women were overrepresented in many low-paying jobs that were recognized as “essential” during the pandemic, but had often been dismissed as “low-skilled” before. [...]

By  and |July 27, 2021|

Even as Payroll Jobs Recover, Young Workers Face Unemployment and a Hostile Labor Market

New June jobs data show the strongest monthly job growth for women since August 2020. Despite this, it will still take women another 9.3 months to get back to pre-COVID-10 levels, compared with 6.7 months for men. Further, the unemployment rate increased slightly, with rates of unemployment remaining twice as high for younger workers.

By  and |July 15, 2021|

Before the “She-Cession”: A Pre-Pandemic Snapshot Shows More Women in the Workforce than Ever

The “she-cession” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has created economic instability for women across the United States. Yet, before the COVID-19 pandemic, women’s employment and earnings were improving nationwide. It is important to track trends in women’s employment and earnings prior to the pandemic [...]

By  and |June 22, 2021|

A Slow Climb Back from the “She-Cession”: High Jobs Deficit in Child Care and School Sectors Continues

New May jobs data show that despite greater jobs gains, women’s recovery continues to lag behind that of men. Women’s jobs on payroll are still 4.2 million below pre-COVID-19 levels, compared with 3.5 million fewer jobs on payroll for men. Further, high jobs deficits in schools and child care centers point to difficulties for employed mothers and mothers wanting to return to work.

By |June 9, 2021|