In the Lead
Reflecting On All Women’s History This March
The year was 1963: President John F. Kennedy was inaugurated to his second presidential term, the Vietnam and Cold Wars were at their peak, and segregation and its consequences were contaminating the nation. While prices were lower, the cost of denial of human rights was at an all-time high. The American public had to confront the social, political, and economic injustice that founded the country. A critical step in that direction was the passage of the Equal Pay Act, which [...]
Biden Budget Contains Historic Investments in Women, Families, Workers
This week, President Biden released his third budget proposal – a budget that contains historic investments in women, families, and workers. While much of the attention surrounding the budget has been focused on the President’s plan to shore up Medicare by increasing taxes on wealthy Americans and large corporations, the budget also makes significant investments in education, healthcare, the workforce, and social programs. Although it is unlikely to move forward in Congress in this form, the President’s budget offers a [...]
International Women’s Day: A Celebration of Women’s Labor Rights
International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8th, marks the achievements and progress of women worldwide while also underscoring the need for continued action and policy change toward gender equity. Celebrated in different forms for over 100 years and officially recognized by the United Nations since 1977, International Women’s Day asserts that the struggle for women’s equality is a global mission and highlights the work left to do to continue the progress we’ve made over time worldwide. International Women’s Day emerged [...]
Black History Month and the Importance of Black Women’s Experiences
As a leading think-tank focusing on gender equity issues, intersectionality is a core value of IWPR. Intersectionality applies a lens to how systems of inequality based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, class, and other forms of discrimination intertwine to create unique dynamics and experiences. In our research and policy work, IWPR uses the tool of intersectionality to observe and analyze inequities. In honor of Black History Month, IWPR recognizes the importance of lifting up Black women's [...]
The Facts Are Clear: Unions Help Women Close the Pay Gap
You wake up; brush your teeth; get dressed. Maybe you make breakfast and send your kids off to school. You get into a car, or a bus, or a train, and commute to work. You spend the day building, or writing, or creating, or filing, or otherwise doing your job; and you do all this knowing that – despite years of hard work – you’re making less money than the men around you. This is the reality for millions of [...]
A Quest to Expand Abortion Access
On January 3, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) modified the rules that restrict access to the abortion medication mifepristone; this allows pharmacies to dispense the drug directly to patients who have a prescription. The change is a critical step toward broadening the availability of mifepristone and increasing abortion access across the United States. Although the FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, the FDA's placement of the medication on its Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) list has historically hampered [...]