Economic Security, Mobility and Equity (ESME)2023-05-24T14:05:34-05:00

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.

Moms EPD 2023
In 2021, Working Moms Made Just 62 Cents on the Dollar Compared to Working Fathers

August 15 was Mom's Equal Pay Day and IWPR's research shows that mothers were paid less than fathers in every single state and the District of Columbia in 2021.

Black Womens EPD 2023
July 27 was Black Women's Equal Pay Day and IWPR Research Shows Black Women Earn Less than White Men in Every State

Black women earned 64 cents for every dollar earned by White men in 2022 and won't reach pay equity until 2144, according to data released by IWPR for Black women’s Equal Pay Day.

Gender Wage Gap by Occupation March 2023
Women Earn Less Than Men Whether They Work in the Same or in Different Occupations

In 2022, women earned less than men for full-time weekly work in almost all occupations, includ- ing in 19 of the largest 20 occupations for women, and in all of the largest 20 occupations for men. Teaching Assistants (median weekly earnings of $662) is the only occupation with no gender difference in median weekly earnings for women and men working full-time.

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Paid Parental Leave in the United States: What the Data Tell Us about Access, Usage, and Economic and Health Benefits

This paper was prepared by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) as a part of a series of Scholars’ Papers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of American Women: Report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, 1963.

Occupational Segregation and the Gender Wage Gap: A Job Half Done

This report was prepared by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) as a part of a series of Scholars’ Papers sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of American Women: Report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, 1963.

By |January 23, 2014|

How Equal Pay for Working Women would Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy

Persistent earnings inequality for working women translates into lower pay, less family income, and more poverty in families with a working woman, which is of no small consequence to working families.

By |January 13, 2014|

Gender Wage Gap Projected to Close in Year 2058: Most Women Working Today Will Not See Equal Pay during their Working Lives

Gender Wage Gap Projected to Close in Year 2058: Most Women Working Today Will Not See Equal Pay during their Working Lives

By |September 18, 2013|

Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Leave in the United States

This briefing paper summarizes employees’ legal rights in relation to pregnancy, childbirth and adoption, and nursing breaks, and examines how far employers are voluntarily moving to provide paid parental leave beyond basic legal rights. It draws on three data sources: leave benefits offered by Working Mother magazine’s “100 Best Companies,” the Family and Medical Leave Act in 2012 Survey, and the National Compensation Survey.

By |May 9, 2013|

Quality Employment for Women in the Green Economy: Industry, Occupation, and State-by-State Job Estimates

This report provides the first-ever estimates of women’s employment in the green economy, state-by-state, by industry, and by occupation. The analysis draws on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey; the Brookings-Battelle Clean Economy database; and the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Green Goods and Services survey.

By |April 2, 2013|
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