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.
Mothers, Children, and Low-Wage Work: The Ability to Earn a Family Wage
The most frequently mentioned cause of the feminization of poverty is the change in family structure-thee increase in divorce, nonmarital births, and independent households established by women (McLanahan et al. 1989; Pearce 1989).
Unnecessary Losses: Costs to Americans in the States of the Lack of Family and Medical Leave
Despite widespread agreement that employment policies should be responsive to the needs of working families, Congress is currently engaged in debate about a national leave policy that would require minimum protections against job loss because of family and medical needs.
Feminization of Poverty: A Second Look
From the poor widow of Biblical times to the divorced mother of today, women have always experienced a disproportionate share of poverty.
Recent Wage Developments in Telecommunications: An Example from the Northeast
This briefing paper is one of a series of occasional papers by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) on the status of women workers in the communications and other service industries.
Comparing the Living Standards of Husbands and Wives: In and Out of Marriage
This paper argues that analyzing the livings standards of husbands and wives within families is a critical challenge for researchers concerned with the valid measurement of family well-being.