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.
Unequal Burden: Challenges Facing Black Women Social Workers
Social workers provide a myriad of services to individuals, families, and communities, including counseling and psychotherapy, social and health services, case management, advocacy, and other support and resources. Like most caring professions, social work is undervalued, resulting in social workers often earning low wages, [...]
New IWPR Report: Tipped Minimum Wage Harms Women
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 10, 2024 Contact: William Lutz 202-785-5100 New IWPR Report: Tipped Minimum Wage Harms Women Washington, DC — The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has released a new fact sheet exposing the human cost of the federal tipped minimum wage, [...]
Want to Help Women? Get Rid of the Tipped Minimum Wage.
Tipping is a prevalent practice in the United States and has been subject to debate in recent years, partly amidst a global pandemic that drastically impacted the restaurant industry and triggered a cost-of-living crisis. The fact sheet provides national and state-by-state estimates of the [...]
Native Women Face Nearly 200-Year Wait for Equal Pay, New IWPR Report Exposes Inequality Across States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 20, 2024 Contact: William Lutz 202-785-5100 Native Women Face Nearly 200-Year Wait for Equal Pay, New IWPR Report Exposes Inequality Across States Washington, DC — As Native Women’s Equal Pay Day approaches on November 21, the Institute for Women’s Policy [...]
Native Women Won’t Reach Pay Equity Until 2202
Native American women face some of the starkest economic outcomes among women in the United States, including one of the largest gender wage gap of any ethnic and racial group. In 2023, American Indian and Alaskan Native women with earnings (including full- time, part-time, [...]
Women Need Better Access to High-Paying Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships provide an earn-as-you-learn pathway free of college debt to industry-recognized qualifications in high-demand occupations. Yet, women are less likely than men to be in the highest- paying apprenticeships. Read more from our latest quick figure on the gender and racial wage gaps for [...]
