FAFSA Delays-Navigating the Thorny Landscape of College Unaffordability
For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. IWPR's Policy Team weighs in.
FAFSA Delays-Navigating the Thorny Landscape of College Unaffordability
For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. IWPR's Policy Team weighs in.
It is no secret that technology is reshaping the labor market in profound ways. But what may not always be as obvious is that these changes disproportionately impact women. In fact, the 2019 IWPR report Women, Automation, and the Future of Work found that while women made up less than half (47 percent) of the workforce, they accounted for 58 percent of workers at the highest risk of automation. The introduction of ChatGPT in 2022 gave rise to various [...]
Key committees in the US House of Representatives are scheduled to convene the week of May 12 to advance plans to identify at least $1.5 trillion in spending cuts to safety-net programs, as required by the budget resolution that passed the House (largely along party lines) on April 10. Alarmingly, experts, including the Congressional Budget Office, agree that the only way to make such cuts possible would be through dramatic cuts or changes to Medicaid—a program essential to the well-being [...]
The importance—if not the necessity—of paid leave for women and families cannot be overstated. Research from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) has consistently shown that paid leave is essential for individuals to care for their health or that of a loved one. Yet, in the absence of a national paid leave policy, access remains inconsistent, leaving many workers vulnerable. IWPR’s latest report, conducted as part of its Policy for Action Research Hub, highlights the significant impact of DC [...]
March is Social Work Month, and this year’s theme—“Compassion + Action”—is especially apt, as social workers are compassionate care workers who act on behalf of the communities in which they serve to cultivate a more safe, just, and equitable society for us all. March is also Women’s History Month, and as 83 percent of social workers are women, this is the perfect time to highlight social workers’ significant contributions to the betterment of society and to advocate for better pay [...]
Workplace flexibility leads to a healthier work-life balance. March 13 marks the 5th anniversary of President Trump’s COVID-19 emergency declaration. In the wake of the pandemic, telework increased drastically, particularly for workers in professional and managerial jobs. This allowed businesses to keep operating and employees to continue earning a paycheck while also helping to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Hybrid work models continued to grow in popularity post-COVID, and full-time in-office policies dropped from 49 percent in 2023 to [...]
Maternal mortality review committees (MMRCs) can play a critical role in counting and documenting maternal deaths, understanding why they occurred, and supporting evidence-based solutions to the US maternal health crisis. Sadly, instead of supporting this important work, some states are trying to push their committees, outspoken members, and the critical data they review into the shadows. Unsurprisingly, the same states that are hostile toward abortion are now directing that hostility toward the professionals who review and make recommendations about [...]
