SWS – Political Participation2021-09-20T00:30:50-04:00

Political  Participation

Shaping their own future

When women participate in the political process, they shape policies in ways that reflect their interests and needs. The Status of Women in the States’ Political Participation Index looks at women as voters, grassroots activists and campaign fundraisers, and officeholders and examines the uneven progress they have made.

Explore the Data

The Political Participation Index measures women’s political participation through four key indicators. Each state is ranked and graded based on their performance on these four measures.

Political Participation Rank and Score by State

Articles and Publications

Paying Today and Tomorrow: Charting the Financial Costs of Workplace Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment remains deeply pervasive in the workplace, wreaking havoc on the lives of survivors. This report fills a gap in our knowledge of the economic costs of sexual harassment for the individual women and men who experience it. Drawing on in-depth interviews with survivors of workplace sexual harassment and stakeholder experts, and a review of the literature, the report provides a detailed pathway for capturing the financial consequences of workplace sexual harassment for individual workers in both the short term and over their lifetimes. The research is based on a collaboration between the Institute for Women’s Policy Research and the TIME’S UP Foundation and presents the first step towards identifying the data needed for a comprehensive national assessment of the financial and economic costs of sexual harassment. 

By  and |July 21, 2021|Report|

Tackling the Gender and Racial Patenting Gap to Drive Innovation: Lessons from Women’s Experiences

Tackling the Gender and Racial Patenting Gap to Drive Innovation: Lessons from Women’s Experiences shows the challenges women face in patenting process and provides recommendations to diversify innovation. The report highlights experiences of inventors and barriers to entry across fields and the unique difficulties women inventors—and particularly women inventors of color—face throughout the innovation and patenting process. The authors make recommendations on how to get more women and women of color in the pipeline. These include tackling systemic racial and gender bias and discrimination, investing in child care and work-life balance supports, and increasing support and funding for accelerator programs for women.

By  and |July 19, 2021|Briefing Paper, Publications|

All Work and Little Pay: IWPR Survey Shows Worrying Challenges for Working Mothers

IWPR’s new survey finds that, on the heels of the economic downturn, working mothers are skeptical about their ability to achieve equal pay. They also report being worried about paying bills and balancing work and family demands. Paid leave and health care are top priorities.

By  and |May 4, 2021|Briefing Paper, Publications|

What Women Want: IWPR National Survey Details Priorities for the New Administration

A new National Survey by IWPR finds in first 100 days and beyond, affordable, high-quality healthcare, getting the economic recession under control, and job creation are top priorities for women for the new Administration and Congress. Women have been most affected by the COVID-incited economic downturn

By  and |February 24, 2021|Briefing Paper, In the Lead, Publications|