In the Lead
Why We Should Invest in Single Mothers’ Higher Education
By Rachel Karp The number of single mothers in college has grown tremendously over the past decade. In the 2011-12 academic year alone, nearly 1.3 million single mothers were enrolled in two- and four-year institutions. But only 8 percent of single mothers who enroll in college graduate with a degree. In a recently-released analysis, IWPR found that the economic returns to single mothers’ investment in a college education are enormous—for them and for society. Single mother graduates of two- and [...]
Five Facts to Know for #MomsEqualPay Day
Wednesday, May 30, is Moms Equal Pay Day 2018, which symbolizes the day that mothers have to work until they earn as much as fathers earned last year. According to the American Community Survey data from the Census Bureau, moms earn 71 cents compared to dads’ dollar. Want to know even more about how the pay gap affects moms and their families? Here are five facts to inform your conversations on Moms Equal Pay Day: 1. Moms’ earnings are critical [...]
5 Resources for Equal Pay Day
Equal Pay Day 2018 is Tuesday, April 10. This day symbolizes how far into the new year women had to work to earn as much as men earned in the previous year. In 2016, women working full-time, year-round made only 80.5 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 19.5 percent. We hope these 5 resources on the gender wage gap will help inform your conversations about the gender wage gap on Equal Pay Day.. Join [...]
Years of Supporting Women Through Research
By Allison Lewis This Women’s History Month, IWPR is reflecting on its 30 years of researching the issues, such as paid leave and equal pay, that shape women’s lives. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the passage of the landmark Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which guarantees job protected, but not paid, leave. In August 1989, IWPR released its first report, Unnecessary Losses: Costs to Americans in the States of the Lack of Family and Medical Leave. IWPR’s research showed that, [...]
IWPR Update: Research Supports Wins for Austin Workers and Student Parents
IWPR Analysis Informs Historic Sick Days Ordinance in Austin In February, the Austin City Council passed an ordinance to require the city’s employers to provide paid sick days. The ordinance’s historic passage makes Austin, Texas, the first city in the South to guarantee paid sick days to workers. IWPR’s research on access to paid sick days in Austin and the costs and benefits of implementing the proposed ordinance informed city policymakers and coalitions, led by Work Strong Austin. IWPR study [...]
What the Research Say: #FMLA25 and Paid Family and Medical Leave
Paid Leave Insurance Would Provide Vital Benefits at an Affordable Cost Since its signing on February 5, 1993, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) has been used millions of times by eligible workers to take up to 12 weeks of job protected, but unpaid, leave for their own serious health conditions, having a new child, or caring for seriously ill family members. On the 25th anniversary, IWPR released a new fact sheet showing that the proposed FAMILY Act would cost less [...]