Women

Separate and Not Equal? Gender Segregation in the Labor Market and the Gender Wage Gap
(Institute for Women's Policy Research - Sept. 2, 2010)

This briefing paper analyzes data from the Current Population Survey on women's share of occupations from 1972 to 2009. Based on 2009 earnings data, it examines the relationship between median earnings and the gender composition of occupations, differentiating between occupations that are predominantly male, have a relatively even gender balance, and are predominantly female -- for low-skilled, medium-skilled and high-skilled fields.

Gender Wage Gap Narrows only Slightly Even though Women's Earnings are More Important than Ever to American Families
(Institute for Women's Policy Research - March 2010)

A Fact Sheet released by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that in 2009 median weekly earnings for women were $657 compared with $819 for men, a female-to-male-earnings ratio of 80.2 percent (making for a weekly gender wage gap of 19.8 percent). While the weekly gender wage gap narrowed slightly in 2009, it is still above its lowest point of 19 percent in 2005. Only full-time workers are included in this measure. An alternative measure of the gender wage gap, based on median annual earnings, is not yet available for 2009; in 2008 it was 22.9 percent.

A Platform for Progress: Building a Better Future for Women and Their Families

This Platform for Progress by The National Women’s Law Center’s, offers concrete proposals to address critical problems facing women and their families. The Platform outlines steps that should be taken by the federal government to address the unmet needs of women and their families in schools; the workplace; and in securing basic economic security and access to quality, affordable, and comprehensive health care.

Voices and Choices for D.C. Women & Girls

This report by the D.C. Women's Agenda, a Washington-based advocacy and policy coalition, underlines the status of women and girls in the nations capital with recomendations for city leaders policy needs.

Stepping Stones 2006: Paving Women’s Pathways to Economic Security

The groundbreaking study’s principal conclusion was that low-income, women-headed families – that is, single mothers and their children – are by far the most economically vulnerable population in the region. The report by the Washington Area Women's Foundation identified four key areas for work to improve the lives of these women and their families, areas deemed critical to ending the persistent cycle of poverty.