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.
Feminism vs Familism: Research and Policy for the 1990’s
As we will see these inequalities in gender, race or class are often either masked or are seen as natural or functional in family research and policymaking.
The Status of Women in Kentucky
A comprehensive study of women’s lives in Kentucky.
Women’s Work, Economic Trends, and Policy Issues
DOWNLOAD REPORT
Wages and Salaries of Child Care Workers: The Economic and Social Implications of Raising Child Care Workers’ Salaries
As more and more mothers enter the paid labor force, and/or work outside of the home, increasing numbers and proportions of children are experiencing care provided in a group context, and/or by someone other than their own parents.
OPM Comparable Worth / Pay Equity Study Overstates Women’s Progress In Federal Workplace
A recent report by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) contains numerous misleading conclusions about women’s progress in the federal government and the impact of pay equity (also known as comparable worth) on women’s future employment gains in this sector.
