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.
Paid Sick Leave Access Increased during the Last Decade, but Inequities Remain
This fact sheet examines changes in access to paid sick leave between 2012 and 2022. Utilizing data from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), the fact sheet updates an earlier IWPR analysis that utilized data from the same survey released in 2012. The [...]
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women Earn Less than White Men in All but One State
In 2022, the median annual earnings of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) women for a year of full-time work were 92.7 percent of White men’s and just 80.1 percent when considering part-time and part-year workers as well. Click below to read [...]
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Women and the Wage Gap
April 3 is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Equal Pay Day. New IWPR research finds that in 2022, for full-time year-round workers, AANHPI women were paid just 92.7 cents per dollar earned by White men. AANHPI women made less than White [...]
As Apprenticeships Expand, Breaking Down Occupational Segregation Is Key to Women’s Economic Success
Apprenticeships are structured training programs that combine paid on-the-job learning with classroom instruction and provide a pathway to industry-recognized qualifications in in-demand occupations. For workers, the apprenticeship route can offer an alternative to traditional college (and college debt), yet traditionally, women have been much [...]
Numbers Matter: Women Working in Construction
In 2023, the number of women working in the trades reached the highest level ever, with 363,651 working in construction and extraction occupations. In the five years since 2018, the number of tradeswomen increased by more than 80,000, a growth of 28.3 percent. Construction [...]
