In the Lead2021-01-07T17:39:15-05:00


In the Lead

Moms EPD 2023
Mothers’ Wage Inequities Go Beyond Paid Labor

August 15 was Mom's Equal Pay Day and IWPR's research shows that In 2021, working moms made just 62 cents on the dollar compared to working fathers.

Black Womens EPD 2023
Black Women’s Equal Pay Day 2023: No Matter What State They Live In, Black Women Make Less Than White Men

Black women earned 64 cents for every dollar earned by White men in 2022 and won't reach pay equity until 2144, according to data released by IWPR ahead of Black women’s Equal Pay Day.

OTC Contraception
FDA Approval of First Daily Over the counter oral contraceptive

In a significant milestone for women's reproductive health, this week, the FDA announced its approval for the first daily oral contraceptive in the U.S. without a prescription.

Black Single Mothers Blog
Dismantling Barriers to Degree Attainment for Black Single Mother Students

A college degree can be a critical tool to economic stability, security, and advancement, yet structural and systemic issues create challenges for some students.

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Student Debt Is a Crisis for Women, and Black Women Bear the Greatest Burden

After treading water through two years of pandemic-related student loan forbearance, people with student debt are due to resume payments on May 1, 2022, a shift that will leave many to drown. Student debt is a crisis in the United States, and one that disproportionately impacts women and people of color. Achieving economic mobility—or even just stability—often requires a postsecondary credential. While some unique career paths, like construction trades, offer apprenticeship as a pathway to good jobs, the vast majority [...]

February 17, 2022|Categories: In the Lead|Tags: , , |

Pregnancy Accommodations Can Help Tackle Skill Shortages, Retain Talent in the Trades

Over four decades after the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, many pregnant workers still experience discrimination and struggle to get reasonable accommodations that would allow them to maintain employment during their pregnancies. New research from IWPR highlights how a lack of pregnancy accommodations harms employers, the economy, and workers’ economic security. IWPR’s survey of tradeswomen shows how a lack of pregnancy accommodations is a factor that pushes workers out of construction jobs with family-sustaining wages and benefits. [...]

January 28, 2022|Categories: In the Lead|Tags: , , |

The States Making Strides to Close the Gender Wage Gap

In 2020, women made 83 cents on the dollar compared to men, based on median annual earnings for full-time, year-round work. Compared to White non-Hispanic men, White women made 79 cents on the dollar, Black women 64 cents, and Hispanic or Latina women just 57 cents. Without major policy interventions, these gaps will take decades or even centuries to close. Unless we make a change, Black women aren’t projected to reach equal pay until 2133, and Latinas will have to [...]

January 21, 2022|Categories: In the Lead|Tags: , |

Senate Failed Again to Ensure Fair Access to the Ballot Box, Crucial to Addressing Racial and Gender Inequities in Our Society

This week, the US Senate failed again to pass voting rights legislation that would have been crucial to the role of women in society, ensuring more equitable access to the ballot box, especially for black women and women of color. Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) CEO and President C. Nicole Mason lamented that trivial concerns about procedure factored into the bill’s undoing. “It is sad to see this crucial bill undone by arguments about the filibuster and Senate tradition. [...]

January 20, 2022|Categories: In the Lead|Tags: , |

December #JobsDay Data Show Women’s Recovery, and Child Care and Elder Care, Continued to Fall Behind Recovery

The December 2021 jobs report provided a mixed picture, with only moderate jobs growth, a continued lag of women’s jobs recovery behind men’s, and another month with an absolute drop in child care and elder care jobs—while jobs in the overall economy grew. As last month, survey data from individual households (Current Population Survey) is much more positive than survey data collected from establishments about the number of workers on payroll (Current Employment Situation). Household data suggests that the rate [...]

January 10, 2022|Categories: In the Lead|Tags: , |

Holiday “Magic” Is Also Unpaid Care Work

The gender inequities in care work are well-documented. According to the American Time Use Survey (ATUS), in 2019, women spent 2.16 hours per day on household activities such as cooking and cleaning while men spent 1.39 hours.* Further, women report spending 16 percent more time purchasing goods and services. Experimental ATUS data from 2019 and 2020 showed that women spent an average of 1.7 hours per day and men spent an average of 46 minutes per day caring for and [...]

December 23, 2021|Categories: In the Lead, Media|Tags: , |
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