July 28 2010
Not Just A ‘Mancession’
Financial Advisor Magazine

“And it might be worse than imagined, it’s important to keep in mind, because the study reflects only women with household income of $50,000 or more; nearly 60% were employed, and three-quarters of them had advanced degrees. 

Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, who also spoke at the press briefing, said, “It is a survey of pretty much the top half of income distribution. The median household income for all families in 2008 was $50,000, and this survey was limited to those who make $50,000 or more. So if we see anything in this survey that’s negative—while we worry that women lack confidence and don’t have all the information they need—imagine what it’s like for women in the bottom half of the distribution. Those women are even more disadvantaged in terms of the information they have and the information they need.”

To read the full article, visit Financial Advisor Magazine online.

July 12, 2010
Pay Gap for State Jobs Is Shrinking
Columbus Dispatch
Catherine Candisky

"The most significant disparity is in top administrative positions. Black men this year were paid nearly $3 less per hour on average than their white male colleagues, and black women averaged $1.43 per hour less than white women.

Ariane Hegewisch, a study director for the Institute for Women's Policy Research, a Washington-based nonprofit organization, said the gender gap tends to be larger than the race gap because male-dominated jobs tend to pay more. In addition, the highest-paying jobs usually have the largest disparities in pay.

"It's encouraging that the (wage) gap isn't very big for state workers overall," she said.

Still, Hegewisch said a 20 percent wage gap between men and women in top state jobs is significant. "

June 28, 2010
Leaving Grannies Behind: Will the Fiscal Commission vote to impoverish older women?
OtherWords
Martha Burk

"Ashley Carson, Executive Director of the Older Women's League and member of the Social Security Works coalition, points out that those same grannies the tea party has apparently forgotten about are the ones who will suffer the most if the program is cut.

"Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research in Washington, agrees. 'Raising the retirement age and other ways of cutting benefits would all have a devastating effect on older women, many of whom live alone and depend mainly or entirely on Social Security,' she says.”

To read the complete article, visit the OtherWords online.

June 23, 2010
Personal Finance a Taboo Issue for Most Americans
Kansas City Star Online
Heide B. Malhotra

“In 2009, female earnings edged forward a little, but did not catch up with the loss during the 2008 market upheaval. 

Between 1980 and 1994 the earning gap between males and females narrowed by close to 12 percent. This surge slowed down after 1994 to a little more than a 5 percent increase until 2009, the most recent statistics available. 

“Since 1980 real wages for men have remained virtually unchanged, while women’s real earnings have increased across the same time period,” according to a 2009 study released in March 2010 by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.”

To read the complete article, visit the The Epoch Times online.

June 18, 2010
Last-minute Father's Day gift idea
Kansas City Star Online
Diane Stafford

“Still trying to figure out what to get Dad for Father’s Day?
How about a health insurance policy.

A study released this week by the Center for Economic and Policy Research and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research finds that one in five men ages 18-64 — about 21.2 million — have no health insurance.

That compares to 17.2 million uninsured women in the same age range.”

To read the complete article, visit the Kansas City Star online.

June 16, 2010
New firm aims to advance women in leadership roles
OCMetro: Business News
Ashley McGlone

“A leadership development firm launched this month will provide mentoring programs, executive coaching and management consulting to professionals across the ranks.

While the services are available to both sexes, Newport Beach-based Business Women Rising was created with a goal of advancing the presence and effectiveness of women in leadership roles.

According to a recent report by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, only 2.5 out of 10 chief executives are women – a statistic that Business Women Rising wants to change.”

To read the complete article, visit OCMetro online.

June 8, 2010
Should Work-Life Balance Be The Law?
Medill Chicago Reports
Dayna Dion

“Actually, the United States has only one major labor law, said Kevin Miller of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

“With the exception of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which is fairly weak, the only major labor law in the United States is the fair labor standards act, which created the minimum wage and outlawed child labor,” he said. “And that was passed in 1938.”

Given that, President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers is calling for new work-life balance policies that reflect the demands facing today’s workforce.”

To read the complete article, visit Medill online.

June 3, 2010
Breastfeeding? Bring Your Pump to Work
Tonic
Darragh Worland

“It's not something most of us think about until we actually have to do it. After all, who really wants to have to pump their breasts at work? It's bad enough having to share a bathroom with our co-workers, let alone having to find a quiet corner to pump milk from our naked breasts into a plastic tube.
But for many working moms, many of whom return to work within just 12 weeks of giving birth, it's a downright necessity. And now, thanks to Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), it's also the law — not just in New York but across the country.

According to an Institute for Women's Policy Research analysis published in 2007, on average nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of the best employers for working mothers provide just four or fewer weeks of paid maternity leave, and half (52 percent) provide six weeks or less.”

To read the complete article, visit Tonic online.

May 30, 2010

Women leave their stamp in manufacturing: As more women than men buy cars, shift may lead to more jobs at assembly plants, greater role in boardroom
Chicago Tribune
By Julie Wernau

"Pam McDonough, president of the Alliance for Illinois Manufacturing and chief executive of NORBIC, a Chicago-based nonprofit economic development organization, said once women make it to plant manager, they are in a better position to move into the top ranks.

’If you've toughed it out beyond a certain level, you have as much or possibly a better chance than a man (for promotion),’ said Ariane Hegewisch, study director at the Institute for Women's Policy Research. But she added that getting women interested in manufacturing has proven difficult.

Few women enroll in the kinds of automotive and mechanical engineering programs that spawn leaders like Allman and Georger, Hegewisch said. ‘In general, getting women into the pipeline is not that easy.'’'

To read the complete article, visit the Chicago Tribune online.

May 30, 2010

Women, want a higher salary?
Charlottesville Observer
By  Tara Siegel Bernard

“Even though working women tend to be more educated, on average, than working men, females who work full time earn only about 77 cents for every dollar that men earn annually, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research. That's up from about 59 cents in 1965.

Part of the pay gap can be easily explained. Women are more likely to leave the work force to care for children, for example, so they end up with fewer years of experience. Men also tend to work in higher-paying occupations and industries.

‘But what you find is that when you pull out all of those factors, you still have about 40 percent of the wage gap - or 9.2 cents - unexplained,’ said Ariane Hegewisch, a study director at the institute.”

To read the complete article, visit the Charlotte Observer online.

May 26, 2010

Women’s Policy Alliance Works to Improve the Status of Women in Missouri
Columbia Magazine
By Keija Parssinen

“In 2004, Missouri fared poorly in the Institute for Women’s Policy Research state-by-state report on the status of American women. The news came as a shock to Kristin, a faculty member at the University of Missouri School of Nursing, who also maintains a local practice.

‘I remember thinking, ‘Wow, Missouri got a C on the IWPR report,’ she says. ‘There were a whole lot of people who did worse but a whole lot who did better. Out of that report grew this core group of women who have kept alive that spirit of, ‘what are we going to do to make this better; how are we going to move this forward?’

As part of her doctoral dissertation research, Kristin founded the [Women’s Policy] Alliance in hopes that the organization could work toward solutions to the problems highlighted in the IWPR report while continuing to gauge women’s progress across the state. She secured funding from a number of sources, including the Missouri Women’s Council and the Women’s Labor Bureau.

‘Some states have done status updates stemming from the IWPR report, but they’ve taken on specific domains,’ Kristin says. ‘We took it all head-on because you can’t talk about education and not talk about health care; you can’t talk about the work force and economic equality and not talk about health care. You can’t focus on and fix one thing — it has to be a bigger picture. If you don’t look at bigger picture, you’re not going to move the status of women forward.’”

To read the complete article, visit Columbia Magazine online.

May 14, 2010

A Toolkit for Women Seeking a Raise
The New York Times
By Tara Siegel Bernard

'Part of the pay gap can be easily explained away. Women are more likely to leave the work force to care for children, for example, so they end up with fewer years of experience. Men also tend to work in higher-paying occupations and industries.

'But what you find is that when you pull out all of those factors, you still have about 40 percent of the wage gap — or 9.2 cents — unexplained,' said Ariane Hegewisch, a study director at the institute.

Academic research on gender and negotiation suggests that part of the unexplained gap may be tied, at least in part, to the negotiating process itself. It may be that some women have lower pay expectations. Men, on the other hand, have been found to be more likely to negotiate higher starting salaries."

To read the article, visit The New York Times online.

May 13, 2010

Will Sick Days Cost Billions for NYC Businesses? San Francisco Says No
The Wall Street Journal
By Aaron Rutkoff

"'The advocates — surprise, surprise — have different math. “They point to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed, in March 2009, the average cost for sick leave per employee hour worked for private-sector employers was 23 cents. For service-sector workers, the cost is even lower: 8 cents an hour, the report showed.”

Kevin Miller, a researcher with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, testified in favor of the sick-leave legislation. He puts the total cost of the legislation at a mere $332 million per year — less than 10% of even the low-end estimate from the five-borough Chamber of Commerce coalition.

So the two sides don’t just disagree over the costs of requiring paid sick days in New York City — the two sides disagree by an enormous margin."

To read the article, visit The Wall Street Journal online.

April 28, 2010

Sick and Tired of No Leave
The Nation Blog
By Greg Kaufmann

"'Nothing has brought home the need for paid sick days more than the recession,' said Kevin Miller, senior research associate at IWPR. 'Now more than ever, families need flexible workplace policies that allow them to take a day off when they or their child is sick. Every paycheck counts--particularly for women, low-wage and minority workers, who are the least likely to have access to paid sick days.'

Aside from the moral imperative, the costs and benefits of paid sick days and family leave are also very convincing. According to IWPR, passage of the Healthy Families Act would result in workers saving over $100 million per year in out-of-pocket expenses for the seasonal flue alone; paid family leave to care for elderly parents or other relatives could save over $700 million annually by avoiding temporary placement in care facilities. Allowing workers time to seek preventative care for things like immunizations, counseling, and cancer screening would also reduce health care costs."

To read the article, visit The Nation online.

April 20, 2010

Census says women equal to men in advanced degrees
Associated Press
By Hope Yen

"Jane Henrici, a study director at the Institute for Women's Policy Research, said continued efforts are needed to ensure that women can compete for jobs on an equal footing, such as flexible work policies involving sick-day and onsite child-care as well as training for future green jobs."

To read the article, visit the Associated Press online.

April 20, 2010

Why do Women Still Earn Less Than Men?
TIME Magazine
By Laura Fitzpatrick

"Skeptics who deem the 77% estimate too optimistic also note that the figure only counts women working full-time (35 hours a week or more, for the full year) and doesn't account for the fact that women are far more likely to take time off to start a family or work part-time while rearing one. Over a period of 15 years, according to a 2004 study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), a full 52% of women in the prime earning age range of 26 to 59 go through at least one full calendar year earning nothing at all, compared to just 16% of men."

To read the article, visit TIME Magazine online.

April 20, 2010

Women in top-paying jobs still make less than men
CNNMoney.com
By Annalyn Censky

"CEO, pharmacist and lawyer are among the 10 most lucrative job titles for women, according to the study released Tuesday by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. But while women in those positions earned median pay topping $100,000 a year, that was just about 75% of what men with the same job titles earned."

To read the article, visit CNNMoney.com online.

CSPAN's Washington Journal
March 5, 2010
Watch IWPR President Dr. Heidi Hartmann discuss increases in spending for women's programs in President Obama's 2011 budget request to Congress

February 14, 2010

Don't Give Me Roses, Just Give Me Equity
Huffington Post
By Linda Basch

"For women who are lucky enough to have a paycheck, there are several Valentine's gifts more satisfying than those sickly sweet candy hearts. A dozen roses will be wilted and trashed by her next payday, but equal pay for equal work will make a difference over a lifetime. According to the Institute for Women's Policy Research, the average twenty-five-year-old woman will earn $523,000 less than her male counterpart over the next forty years. Further, everyone knows that women still only make 77 cents to the male dollar, but when you break it down by race, the disparity becomes even more dramatic: Latina women, for example, earn 59.2% and African American women 71.9% as much as white men Instead of reciting poetry to your sweetie on February 14th, why not recite the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to her employer?

Instead of sending a singing telegram, how about sending more bills to Congress and state legislatures to make quality child care more affordable and accessible: one of the main barriers to women's economic advancement?"

To read the article, visit the Huffington Post online.

February 10, 2010

Sick at Work
New York Times Economix Blog
By Nancy Folbre

"The Healthy Families Act that got a bit of traction in Congress last spring would create a new national standard, guaranteeing employees one paid hour off for each 30 hours worked and enabling them to earn up to seven paid sick days a year. Workers would be entitled to claim their days when they or a child, a parent, a spouse or someone else close to them became ill.

Like mandated health insurance, mandated paid sick leave would cost money. Employers could pass on costs to employees in the form of lower wages. But, also like health insurance, paid sick leave could save money by improving health.

Evidence for this argument is presented in a briefing paper just published by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research analyzing the effects of the H1N1 epidemic last fall.

About 26 million employed Americans 18 and over were probably infected with H1N1 between September and November 2009 — about 20 percent of all nonfarm employees.

Almost 18 million employees took at least part of a week off. The other eight million didn’t."

To read the article, visit the New York Times Economix Blog online.

February 1, 2010

Report: Training Widens Pay Gap
Congressional Quarterly
By Clea Benson

"That’s because women are still getting trained as sales clerks and office workers, jobs traditionally filled by women.

Meanwhile, men in WIA programs are being trained to build, install and repair things. Such positions tend to pay more, says Ariane Hegewisch, a study director at the institute, which is affiliated with George Washington University.

The data show that workers who complete the government-paid training are even less likely than the overall U.S. workforce to pursue “non-traditional” employment, defined as a job where at least 75 percent of the other workers are members of the opposite sex.

'Thus WIA services appear to contribute to increasing sex segregation in the labor market,' the report found.
Hegewisch and her colleagues say that states receiving WIA funds should increase counseling to encourage women to choose non-traditional career paths. With the program due for reauthorization,a new emphasis on steering women toward higher-paying jobs could be included in a revised law.

'Some women really don’t want to do non-traditional jobs. But some, once they know how much they pay, would be quite interested,' Hegewisch says.

Training might need to include extra support for women entering non-traditional fields, she says: 'It’s a little bit of extra investment, but it makes the whole labor market more effective.'"

To read the article, click here.

January 20, 2010

Hey big spender: Bundle's gender breakdown
MSN Money
By Janet Paskin

"According to Bundle -- a brand-new partner site of MSN Money that lets users investigate spending trends by age, household, income and geography -- single men outspend single women in almost every category. Yes, men make more than women do -- about 25% more, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

But even among men and women with similar householdincomes, men spent about 19% more than women on food and 16% more on travel. Their insurance bills were higher, they paid more for school-related expenses, even their phones cost them more. Hey, I guess you've got to keep the bromance alive."

To read the article, visit MSN Money online.

January 15, 2010

Employers oppose a bill to require paid sick days
Portland Press Herald
By Susan M. Cover

""Every one of us wants to prevent the spread of H1N1 (swine flu), but this bill will have far-reaching effects in Maine," said Chip Morrison of the Androscoggin Chamber. "Is this the time to put a costly mandate on Maine employers?"

Kevin Miller, a researcher from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, said more than 170,000 Maine workers would benefit from the law.

His research also shows employers would save millions of dollars by "reducing worker turnover, cutting down on the spread of disease at work and helping employers avoid paying for low productivity."

To read the article, visit Portland Press Herald online.

January 10, 2010

Jobless Rate Among Single Moms Hits 25-Year High
WAMU Radio

" January 10, 2010 - Economists in D.C. say unemployment among single mothers is at a 25-year high and that the job outlook for single moms in our area is mixed. A report from the Institute for Women's Policy Research says the unemployment rate among single moms nationwide is 13 percent -- much higher than almost any other group, says Institute President Heidi Hartman. "We think it's because they have particular needs and when they find a job they can do that meets their transportation availability, their schedules in terms of child care, the wage rate that they need in order to be able to support their family and possibly still also pay for child care." Hartman says job recovery among single mothers could be faster in the D.C. area than elsewhere in part because of strong federal spending. But she adds that parts of D.C. and its close suburbs -- like Silver Spring and Arlington -- have larger numbers of single moms at risk of falling into poverty. Mana Rabiee reports... "

To listen to the broadcast, visit WAMU.org online.

November 23, 2009

Paid parental leave touted as a way to improve retention
GovernmentExecutive.com
By Alyssa Rosenberg

"Even if federal employees take two weeks of vacation and use only three sick days annually, it would take them 4.2 years to accrue 12 weeks of paid leave, the Women's Policy institute calculated.

"This calculation does not, however, account for the use of sick leave for personal or family illness beyond the average use of three days; the use of sick leave to address complications that may occur during pregnancy; or the use of sick leave to address infant health problems that may occur after birth, adoption or foster placement," Kevin Miller, senior research associate at the institute, noted in the report.

The Paid Parental Leave Act is aimed at easing this burden by allowing federal employees who qualify for coverage under the Family and Medical Leave Act four weeks of paid leave and letting them apply accrued paid leave toward the remaining eight weeks."

To read the full article, visit GovernmentExecutive.com online.

November 14, 2009

Swine Flu: With No Paid Sick Leave, Workers Won't Stay Home
ABCNews.com
By Patrik Jonsson

"'These findings threaten to undermine President Obama's effort to have anyone exhibiting swine-flu-like symptoms stay at home for as many as four days. The emphasis on prevention and individual responsibility is a welcome departure from the punitive government actions -- such as quarantines and forced vaccinations -- called for under previous pandemic-response plans, some health experts say.

But for the 48 percent of Americans without paid sick leave, the policy presents a choice between two equally undesirable options: stay at home and lose money or go to work despite government exhortations not to. Businesses, too, say the situation leads to so-called "presenteeism," or the act of going to work while unwell, costing the economy $180 million a year, by one estimate.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Ct., announced Tuesday that he is preparing emergency legislation that would guarantee paid sick days for those diagnosed with the H1N1 virus."

To read the full article, visit abcnews.com online.

October 29, 2009

A Woman's Nation Changes Everything: Or Does It?
Huffington Post
By Dr. Sasha Galbraith

"So does that mean that parity on the home front is at hand? Do men now share in 50 percent of the unpaid housework? Sadly, no. More than half of the women surveyed said they take on significantly more responsibility for house and family, but only 28 percent of men saw it that way.

Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, wrote the following in one of the essays in the Shriver Report: "Women still do the lion's share of the care for children and for adults. Women have subsidized the economy and subsidized the government for far too long. How? Well, for one, women's unpaid labor keeps families humming and keeps state budgets down. If women were not providing child care and long-term care to elderly family members at home, then taxes and public spending would be much higher."

Some things don't change. Arlie Hochschild and Anne Machung in their 1989 book, The Second Shift, found that women who work outside the home put in one full month more than men do each year toward home and family care. That equates to 15 more hours per week of time that women spend than men doing household chores and care giving. And that's on top of her regular "day job." Another study by Beth Ann Shelton found that just the act of marrying adds 9 hours per week to a woman's household chores."

To read the full article, visit Huffington Post online.

October 15, 2009

Frugality is forever
MarketWatch
By Jennifer Waters

"'Throughout the history of the United States, consumers go back and forth between Puritanism and hedonism,' he said. 'During recessions and depressions, Americans tend to act like Puritans. Eventually they have Puritanism fatigue and they go back to what they were doing before.'

Heidi Hartmann, president of the Women's Institute for Policy Research, agrees but notes that women's current attitudes toward spending won't go away overnight.

In other words, spending habits will be 'permanent until they get more money again,' she said.

'This idea that consumers are going to spend less, pay off debt and save is something that will slow down the recovery, but that's not necessarily bad,' she said. 'It's just the way it is.'"

To read the full article, visit MarketWatch online.

September 30, 2009

The New Gender Gap
New York Times Magazine
By Lisa Belkin

"Women will soon be the majority of workers because some are opting back in, and many others, who never left, are more likely to find and keep their jobs than men. Once again, the reasons for this are not a function of the clout of women but of the predicament of men and less a sign of how far women have come than of how far they have left to go.

'The things that traditionally hold women back in the work force are working in their favor now,' says Heidi Hartmann, a labor economist and president of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 'but those obstacles remain.'

Primarily, women are still cheaper. They earn 77 cents to every dollar earned by a man, and in a flailing economy employers see that as an attractive quality. Women who are returning to the work force after several years at home raising children are particularly cheap. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, an economist and the founder of the Center for Work-Life Policy, has estimated that the penalty is 10 percent of income for every two years out of the job market, a loss that is never recouped. From the hiring side of the table, that may be a good bargain."

To read the full article, visit The New York Times Magazine online.

September 2, 2009

Women take over labor market
USA Today
By Dennis Cauchon

"That's a record high for a measure that's been growing steadily for decades and accelerating during the recession. At the current pace, women will become a majority of workers in October or November. The data for July will be released Friday.

'It was a long historical slog to get to this point,' says labor economist Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

The change reflects the growing importance of women as wage earners, but it doesn't show full equality, Hartmann says. On average, women work fewer hours than men, hold more part-time jobs and earn 77% of what men make, she says. Men also still dominate higher-paying executive ranks."

To read the full article, visit USA Today online.

August 30, 2009

'Just Stay Home' When Pigs Fly
Inside NoVA
By Marsha Mercer

Millions of Americans can’t stay home because they lack paid sick days. They risk financial and even job loss if they don’t go to work. While 61
percent of private-sector workers have paid sick leave, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in March, only 26 percent of part-time workers do.

Paid sick days are standard for government and white-collar employees but not for those in food service, hotels and construction. Only about 15 percent of restaurant workers have paid sick days,
according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

To read the full article, visit Inside NoVA online.

August 10, 2009

Years Later, Divorce Complicates Caregiving
The New York Times Blog
By Paula Span

Years after parents split, their children may wind up helping to sustain two households instead of one, and those households can be across town or across the country. Further, unmarried women (whether single, widowed or divorced) face significantly higher poverty rates in middle and old age, according to a study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research that AARP published last year.

To read the full article, visit The New York Times online.

August 5, 2009

Gov't Insurance Would Allow Coverage for Abortion
The Associated Press
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

Heidi Hartmann, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, said applying the current restrictions for federal employees and low-income women to a program intended for the middle class will provoke a backlash.

"There is a difference between picking off one group of women here and one group there and something that would affect a very large group," Hartmann said. "Everyone would like to avoid that fight."

To read the full article, visit The Associated Press online.

July 16, 2009

What Mancession?
Newsweek.com
By Nancy Cook

"But while it's true that the 'Great Recession' has hurt guys like Addison, these aren't exactly boom times for women. True, women have suffered fewer job losses than men, but overall they still earn only 78 cents for every dollar a man makes, according to Center for American Progress. Much of their work is concentrated in lower-paid industries such as retail, hospitality, education, nonprofits and health care.

The jobs that women are holding on to typically lack benefits, retirement savings plans, or pensions. 'The strong part of women's participation in the labor force is also the weak part. Their salaries are limited,' says Heidi Hartmann, an economist and president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research. 'Women tend to choose a path that's less risky, that's more secure for their families.' When asked about the mancession, Hartmann then scoffed a little. 'It becomes a problem when white men start to suffer.'

The great hope of labor economists who study this trend—and they're mostly women—is that the mancession will prompt employers to raise women's wages and open up more lucrative fields such as high tech and finance to greater numbers of women. The wage gap between the genders has largely been stagnant during this decade. Still, roughly 35 percent of women now bring home at least half of their family's income."

To read the full article, visit Newsweek online.