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.
The Gender Wage Gap: 2019 Earnings Differences by Race and Ethnicity
The gender wage gap in weekly earnings for full-time workers in the United States narrowed marginally between 2018 and 2019. In 2019, the ratio of women’s to men’s median weekly full-time earnings was 81.5 percent, an increase of 0.4 percent since 2018, when the ratio was 81.1 percent, leaving a wage gap of 18.5 percent, compared with 18.9 percent in 2018.
Women-Owned Businesses Have Increased in Number, but Still Face Obstacles to Growth
Women have made considerable progress in increasing their representation among business owners in recent years. The number of women-owned businesses increased in almost every industry between 2002 and 2012, at rates higher than those of men-owned businesses.
Providing Unpaid Household and Care Work in the United States: Uncovering Inequality
In the United States, women spend considerably more time than men over their lifetime doing unpaid household and care work. The unequal distribution of this work—work that is essential for families and societies to thrive—not only limits women’s career choices and economic empowerment, but also affects their overall health and well-being.
Paid Family Leave Increases Mothers’ Labor Market Attachment
The United States is the only OECD country that does not guarantee a right to paid maternity leave. Evidence suggests that improving access to paid leave in the United States has health and economic benefits for families.
