Work and Family
The equal participation of women in politics and government is integral to building strong communities and a vibrant democracy in which women and men can thrive. By voting, running for office, and engaging in civil society as leaders and activists, women shape laws, policies, and decision-making in ways that reflect their interests and needs, as well as those of their families and communities.
Today, women constitute a powerful force in the electorate and inform policymaking at all levels of government. Yet, women continue to be underrepresented in governments across the nation and face barriers that often make it difficult for them to exercise political power and assume leadership positions in the public sphere. This chapter presents data on several aspects of women’s involvement in the political process in the United States: voter registration and turnout, female state and federal elected and appointed representation, and state-based institutional resources for women. It examines how women fare on these indicators of women’s status, the progress women have made and where it has stalled, and how racial and ethnic disparities compound gender disparities in specific forms of political participation.
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Political Participation Rank and Score by State
Understanding the Student Parent Experience: The Need for Improved Data Collection on Parent Status in Higher Education
Data on students’ parent status would help campuses, higher education systems, and policymakers assess needs, target supports and services, understand student outcomes, and measure what works to promote student parent enrollment, persistence, and completion.
Women Fall Further Behind Men in Recovery and Are 5.8 Million Jobs Below Pre-COVID Employment Level
New jobs figures from September show much less job growth than in the previous month, particularly for women, according to the U.S. Bureau for Labor Statistics latest Employment Situation release. Women’s official rates unemployment fell, while the number of women who are no longer actively looking for work increased.
Women’s Median Earnings as a Percent of Men’s, 1985–2019 (Full-Time, Year-Round Workers) with Projections for Pay Equity, by Race/Ethnicity
Notes: Estimates presented for All Women are based on the earnings ratio for full-time, year-round workers between all women and all men, while the estimates for White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic women are based on the earnings ratio for full-time, year-round workers of each [...]
State-by-State Earnings for American Indian and Alaska Native Women: Wage Gaps Across the States
American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) women have made important advances socially, economically, and politically—they are starting their own businesses, getting elected to congress, and serving essential roles in their families and communities. Despite their efforts, they continue to face a range of obstacles to their and their family’s economic wellbeing and overall economic security.
Same Gap, Different Year: The Gender Wage Gap, 2019 Earnings Differences by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity
The rate of progress toward closing the gender pay gap did not increase in 2019. If the pace of change in the annual earnings ratio continues at the same rate as it has since 1960, it will take another 39 years, until 2059, for men and women to reach parity.1 This projection for equal pay has remained unchanged for the past four years.
Women’s Median Earnings as a Percent of Men’s, 1960–2019 (Full-Time, Year-Round Workers) with Projections for Pay Equity in 2059
Women’s Median Earnings as a Percent of Men’s Median Earnings, 1960-2019 (Full-time, Year-round Workers) with Projection for Pay Equity in 2059
