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.
What Women Can Look Forward to in 2024
The year 2023 was riddled with post-Dobbs abortion bans, attacks on gender-affirming care, near government shutdowns, and states striving to legislatively and judicially strip women of their bodily autonomy. And the spotlight on state policy action only intensified with a federal void on policies [...]
Are Cash Transfers and Guaranteed Income Programs an Answer to Poverty in the United States?
The state of poverty alleviation efforts in the United States creates an opportunity for cash transfer and guaranteed income pilots. There is an urgent need to identify and implement social policies and programs that support women’s economic empowerment and well-being. In recent years, cash [...]
High Rates of Violence and Discrimination Contribute to the Wage Inequities of Native American Women
November 30 marks Native Women’s Equal Pay Day. Native women have one of the lowest earnings ratios compared to non-Hispanic White men. In 2022, all Native women with earnings were paid 54.7 cents per dollar and Native women who worked full-time year-round were paid [...]
Native Women will not Reach Pay Equity with White Men until 2144
In 2022, Native American and Alaskan Native women with earnings (including full-time, part-time, year-round, and part-year workers) were paid only 54.7 cents per dollar paid to non-Hispanic White men (a median annual earnings ratio of 54.7 percent, and a wage gap of 45.3 percent). [...]
Apprenticeships Can Deliver High Earnings but Do So Less for Women than Men
Apprenticeships provide an earn-as-you-learn pathway free of college debt to industry-recognized qualifications in high-demand occupations. In FY 2023*, the median hourly wage for women who completed registered apprenticeships was $22.00 compared with $34.07 for men, a gender earnings ratio of just 64.6 percent. Black [...]
Latinas Will Not Reach Pay Equity with White Men until 2207 if Current Trends Persist
In 2022, Latinas working full-time year-round were paid just 57.5 cents for every dollar paid to White, non-Hispanic men nationally (a wage gap of 42.5 percent). Among all workers, including those working full-time, part-time, full-year, or part- year, Latinas were paid only 51.9 cents [...]
