Washington, DC (September 2, 2025) — The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) submitted comments today to the US Department of Labor (DOL) opposing its proposed rule to rescind and drastically revise the DOL’s Office of Apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) requirements, which help ensure that women can benefit from and have equal access to apprenticeship positions.
IWPR also joined partner organizations in opposing the related DOL proposed rule that would rescind the 1965 executive order that provided core civil rights protections for federal contractors and subcontractors.
Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), released the following statement in response:
“For 60 years, leaders of both parties have upheld and enforced worker nondiscrimination protections, whether for federal contractors andor, more recently, for apprentices. Yet this administration is moving to strip away decades of progress and undermine the promise of a fair workplace, which for decades has been a bedrock principle of women’s economic empowerment. It is stunning that this administration is encouraging bias rather than combating it, but we will never back down from the fight to support a more inclusive and equitable country for women and all workers.”
Ariane Hegewisch, senior research fellow, added the following:
“Our research shows apprenticeships are a proven pathway to family-sustaining wages and economic mobility. Although women remain underrepresented in apprenticeships, particularly in the highest-paying fields, stronger investments and accountability in recent years have driven measurable gains across all racial and ethnic groups. The administration’s proposed rollback of anti-harassment training, outreach, EEO oversight, and data collection threatens to erase this progress. Adoption of the proposed rule and the further entrenchment of the barriers women face accessing good apprenticeships would have devastating consequences for the participation of women, and particularly women of color, in apprenticeships across the country.”
Relevant IWPR resources:
- As Apprenticeships Expand, Breaking Down Occupational Segregation Is Key to Women’s Economic Success
For media inquiries or interview requests, please kindly reach out to rollins@iwpr.org
