Economic Security, Mobility and Equity (ESME)
Whether paid or unpaid, women’s work is crucial for their families’ economic security and well-being. Greater gender equality in paid and unpaid work will reduce poverty and improve economic growth and prosperity; persistent inequity in employment and family work is costing all of us. Women are held back by the undervaluation of historically female work, workplaces designed as if workers had no family responsibilities, and a broken-down work-family infrastructure.
IWPR’s ESME program highlights the extent of pay inequalities, and the role played by stark occupational segregation in perpetuating unequal pay. We conduct research and analysis on women’s labor force participation and employment trends; workforce development, non-traditional employment, and apprenticeships; the impact of sex discrimination and harassment on women’s career advancement and mobility; the gender pay gap and pay inequity across race and ethnicity; work-family policies and employer practices; the and the impact of automation and technological advances on women workers.
We work with policymakers, employers, advocates, and practitioners to identify promising practices and policy solutions.
If Parenting Came with a Paycheck, Mothers of Young Children Would Earn $450 Billion a Year
Caregiving takes time, particularly for mothers. On an average day in 2023, mothers of younger children spent 2.5 hours exclusively on child care (primary care) and another 6.5 hours supervising children in combination with other activities. While fathers also spent time caring for kids—averaging [...]
The Parenthood Pay Divide: Why Mothers Earn Less Than Fathers in the US
Mothers’ earnings are crucial for their own and their families’ economic security. At the same time, mothers are much more likely than fathers to take on greater responsibility for child and family care, which can reduce the time they have available for paid work. [...]
Breaking Barriers: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women and the Fight for Equal Pay
In 2023, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women earned 92.9 percent of what White men made in median annual earnings for full-time full-year work. However, when part-time and part-year workers are included, this figure drops to just 80.4 percent. While AANHPI [...]
DC Paid Family Leave: Access and Impact on Workers
This report summarizes findings from 12 interviews with beneficiaries of DC Paid Family Leave. These conversations provided insights into how having access to paid leave benefits impacted participants’ financial, mental, and physical well-being, as well as their ability to perform their caregiving responsibilities and [...]
Women Earn Less than Men Whether They Work in the Same or Different Occupations
Women’s median earnings for a week of full-time work are lower than men’s in nearly all occupations, irrespective of whether these occupations are mainly held by women, mainly held by men, or whether the gender division is more equal. Read the latest findings from [...]
Flexible Work and Women’s Well-Being: Poll Results
In November 2024, Morning Consult, on behalf of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, surveyed 8,011 women ages 25–65 in the United States about remote working and schedule flexibility and control, perceived work-life balance and supports, and perceived health. Results are for employed women [...]
