In the Lead
Sweeping Wins in Minnesota Include Paid Leave and Student Parent Supports
Minnesota Democrats made the most of their slim majority in the state legislature this session by enacting a sweeping legislative agenda that included paid family and medical leave, and student parent success initiatives that promote gender equity in the workplace and in higher education institutions. Thanks to their efforts, $670 million from the state’s budget surplus will now go toward a new paid leave program, the first of its kind among Midwestern states. The new law features innovative and inclusive [...]
American Families Hurtle Towards the “Child Care Cliff”
American families are currently less than two weeks away from the expiration of child care stabilization funding – what experts are calling a “child care cliff”— and there is no indication that policymakers in Washington intend to stop it. In fact, far from approving the emergency funding needed to prevent millions of families from losing critical access to care, House Republicans appear to be careening toward a federal government shutdown that would endanger even more critical safety net programs. On [...]
This September, Let’s Celebrate Student Parents!
September is National Student Parent Month, a month to celebrate and uplift student parents in higher education and recognize the need to further empower this unique group of students. According to IWPR reports, student parents make up a substantial percentage of postsecondary students but often face enormous barriers to academic success. They are confronted with higher instances of economic insecurity, including issues with food, housing, and other necessities; These financial hurdles can make it hard for many student parents to [...]
Mothers’ Wage Inequities Go Beyond Paid Labor
This year, August 15th marks Mothers' Equal Pay Day. This date highlights the inequalities that mothers in the United States face in their pay. Mothers had to work nearly eight more months into 2021 in order to earn the same amount fathers earned in the previous year. In 2021, for all workers with earnings, working mothers only earned 61.7 cents for every dollar a working father made. For those working full-time year-round, working mothers made 73.5 cents compared to [...]
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2023: No Matter What State They Live In, Black Women Make Less Than White Men
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is a symbolic commemoration of a stark reality: no matter which state they live in, whether they work part- or full-time, or part-year or year-round, Black women make substantially less than White men . This year, Black Women's Equal Pay Day falls on July 27th. While Equal Pay Days used to be described as the day when women “caught up” to men’s earnings from the previous year, IWPR senior researcher Ariane Hegewisch explains, "Equal [...]
FDA Approval of First Daily Over the Counter Oral Contraceptive
This week, the FDA announced its approval for the first daily oral contraceptive in the U.S. without a prescription. After decades of scientific research on the safety, effectiveness, and overall benefits of the availability of over-the-counter contraceptives for people of all ages, the FDA’s decision means that Opill,, a progestin-only birth control pill produced by HRA Pharma, will soon be accessible over the counter. This is a significant milestone for reproductive healthcare in the U.S., and a critical step toward [...]
