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.
Investing in Economic Opportunity for Women in North Carolina
This report was commissioned by the North Carolina Council for Women and Youth Involvement (CFWYI), an advocacy division housed in the North Carolina Department of Administration, and the North Carolina Council for Women (the Council), a group of 20 gubernatorial appointees who advise the [...]
Numbers Matter: Women Working in Construction
In 2024, the number of women working in construction trades was the highest ever, with 366,360 working in construction and extraction occupations. Since 2015, the number of tradeswomen has increased by almost 160,000, or 77.3 percent. Construction careers, including apprenticeships, are attracting an increasing [...]
Black Women Need Better Access to Leadership Positions—and Equal Pay When They Get There
Attaining postsecondary education offers economic mobility for Black women; however, it is not enough to eliminate the disparities they experience in advancing to leadership roles. Black women in the United States continue to experience a steady increase in successfully earning college degrees but are [...]
Across Degrees, Titles, and States, Black Women Earn Just 64 Cents on the Dollar
In 2023, Black women earned just 64.4 cents for every dollar made by White men when looking at all workers with earnings. This pay inequity isn’t new, and at the current rate—and without any significant policy changes—it could take over 200 years to close [...]
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. [...]
