National Gender Wage Gap Widens in 2023 for the First Time in 20 Years, With Women Making 82.7 Cents on the Dollar Compared to Men, Down from 84 Cents in 2022
“The worsening gender wage gap is a national disgrace," says IWPR President and CEO Dr. Jamila K. Taylor.
New IWPR Analysis Reveals Economic Harm of State Abortion Bans
IWPR's latest report points to a clear correlation between abortion restrictions and economic underperformance, further highlighting that restrictions or total bans on abortion care not only jeopardize women’s health but actively harm state economies.
Understanding the Needs of Black Single Mothers in College
IWPR spoke with 25 Black single mothers as they strive for their college degree about the challenges they face and the programs that help them balance family with their academic careers.
As Apprenticeships Expand, Breaking Down Barriers to Women’s Economic Success
The apprenticeship route can offer an alternative to traditional college (and college debt), yet traditionally, women have been much less likely to be apprentices than men. Check out IWPR’s latest report analyzing whether the commitments to greater gender and racial equity in apprenticeship pathways are being realized and whether women and men are equally likely to achieve jobs with family-sustaining wages following apprenticeships.
IWPR is a “think tank with humanity,” and our mission is simple: win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. Our Annual Report details how we strived to fulfill our mission in 2023 and provides a detailed picture of our mission and values, our impact, and how we do what we do.
Higher education is essential to accessing high-demand jobs with family-supporting wages and improving family financial well-being. This was true before the COVID-19 pandemic and is especially true now as the nation continues the process of recovering from one of the worst public health, economic, and social crises in modern U.S. history. Early evidence suggests that the pandemic exacerbated barriers faced by student parents, affecting their college plans.
Careers in the construction trades can provide high earnings and good benefits, often through a learn-while-you-earn apprenticeship. In 2020, more than 300,000 women worked in the trades—the largest number ever. Yet while their numbers are growing, women still make up fewer than one in twenty of workers in construction occupations.
The Build Back Better (BBB) Framework proposed by the Biden Administration will accelerate gender equality and significantly reduce poverty for women and families. The plan invests in women’s economic security and equity by bolstering our care infrastructure, targeted tax credits, food and nutrition assistance, and higher education and training.
Union membership provides improved access to critical benefits like paid leave, along with better pay, health insurance, and pensions. For women, this advantage is especially helpful for weathering crises like COVID-19 and the resulting “she-cession.”
Evidence from California suggests that construction workers face the highest COVID-19 infection rates of any other sector. IWPR’s 2021 survey of tradeswomen across states shows that most construction workers who needed to take leave during COVID-19 had to do so without pay.
To ensure student parents are wholly supported in their educational pathways, research is needed to understand the connection between quality, affordable child care and student parents’ academic outcomes. Yet several challenges persist that make rigorous study of this connection difficult. Drawing on interviews with campus child care directors and a review of data and relevant literature, this brief presents a snapshot of the availability and importance of campus child care services for student parent success. It concludes with recommendations to improve conditions for rigorous research on the role of campus child care in the outcomes of college students with children.
