Institute for Women's Policy Research

06/24/2026

Four years later, the consequences are clear: care denied, clinics closed, lives lost.

Read the full statement from IWPR President and CEO Jamila K. Taylor on four years since the fall of Roe v Wade.

Reproductive freedom isn’t just policy. It’s about health, dignity, and economic justice for every woman, especially those most at risk.

06/22/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, President and CEO of , on being selected as a 2026 National Leading From the Inside Out Yearlong Fellow by the Rockwood Leadership Institute!

Each year, Rockwood recognizes an inspiring cohort of nationally respected leaders committed to driving meaningful social change through a transformative yearlong fellowship experience.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Taylor has been a leading voice in advancing health equity, women’s rights, and social justice—championing policies that expand access to essential health care, protect reproductive and maternal health, and dismantle structural racism in the U.S. health system.

A trusted expert, widely published scholar, and sought-after voice in national and global conversations, Dr. Taylor continues to shape policy, influence change, and uplift communities.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition and the lasting impact Dr. Taylor makes every day! ✨

06/17/2026

June 17 is — a call to attention on pay disparity and inequity in the workplace.

Bias, discrimination, wage inequities, lack of representation, and harassment harm LGBTQIA+ workers—impacting economic status and emotional well-being. Many face a catch-22: be open and risk discrimination or stay private and carry the emotional labor of masking.

Inclusive workplaces improve productivity, attract talent, and provide diverse perspectives—yet inequitable labor market practices persist.

Achieving equality requires dismantling discrimination and valuing inclusion, authenticity, and equity for all.

Check out our the 2025 commentary, Emotional Labor, Economic Loss: How Bias and Discrimination Harm LGBTQIA+ Workers, by Miranda Peterson with contributions from Victoria Gianopoulos and Mrinmoyee Chatterjee, PhD. 🌈

06/05/2026

The Jobs Report for May shows higher-than-expected job gains, but some concerning trends still lurk beneath those big numbers—along with signs that the fruits of economic growth are not evenly distributed. 
 
After a year and a half of volatile unemployment, Black women’s unemployment rate fell to the lowest it’s been since March of last year. But the persistent gap compared with White women remains.  
 
Child care workers continued to lose jobs, with 9,500 jobs lost since the beginning of the year. Declines in this essential infrastructure may reflect tightening family budgets amid inflation, worsening work conditions, or changes in mothers’ labor force participation.  
 
While there was relatively little change in women’s labor force participation or the number of discouraged women workers, last year’s steep declines in Black mothers’ labor force participation, as shown in work by , demonstrates the need for more research on how caregiving responsibilities, tech-related job displacement, and the availability of paid leave affects women’s workforce participation. 
 
Learn more about this month’s report from IWPR’s Dr. Kate Bahn .

06/04/2026

Do you want to learn how to turn research into a revolution? Are you ready to build power to drive gender equity forward?

This September, join us for Power+ 2026 in Detroit as we continue to generate momentum for a more equitable and sustainable future, even in the face of rollback and regression. Learn from movement leaders, hear real stories that energize and inspire, and build the networks that can support and sustain your work for the fight ahead.

Register now and get ready to connect, recharge, and help us build our power grid together: https://gatsby.events/iwpr/rsvp/register?e=iwpr-presents-power-2026-the-power-grid-driving-gender-equity-forward

06/02/2026

Happy from IWPR! We honor and celebrate LGBTQIA+ communities, and affirm that the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights is a fight for gender and economic equity.

06/01/2026

The Trump administration thinks science should follow the president’s priorities — not the facts.

Ideologically driven attacks on DEI have already had devastating effects on our nation’s research. Now, a proposed rule would cement the administration’s political control over research grants, putting key decisions about funding in the hands of political appointees instead of actual experts.

Research and science should be backed by peer review — not political interference. Sign up for weekly newsletter to learn more: https://iwpr.org/sign-up/

05/30/2026

Comprehensive s*x ed is linked to both education success and better health. As month draws to a close, we know that all students deserve inclusive and accurate information so they can make choices that are right for them and their own bodily autonomy.

Yet only 15% of community college students report having received comprehensive s*x ed. They’re also less likely to have access to s*xual health resources than peers at four-year colleges. And as our recent research brief revealed, 17 out of 20 are concerned about their school’s lack of STI and pregnancy prevention resources. In fact, the vast majority believe their college should be responsible for providing s*x education to all incoming students.

Community colleges are engines of upward economic mobility. Promoting students’ s*xual and reproductive health is critical to their overall well-being. Read more in our recent research brief: https://iwpr.org/filling-the-gap-community-college-students-expect-s*xual-health-education-on-campus/

05/29/2026

Earlier this month, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed a bill that would require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for workers experiencing menopause and perimenopause-related symptoms.

According to the Society for Women’s Health Research, more than 75% of women work throughout their menopause transition, and related symptoms play a significant role in career decisions and opportunities. Meanwhile, a Mayo Clinic study estimates that those symptoms cost $1.8 billion in lost work time every year.

Despite impacting half the workforce, menopause is largely unaddressed in workplaces. And women of color, who hold a disproportionate share of low-paying jobs, are more likely to be negatively impacted by workplaces that don’t make related accommodations.

Learn more about policy solutions related to workplace protections and reproductive health care across women’s lifespans:

Reproductive Health Care Across the Lifespan While funding, research, and advocacy concerning maternal health, contraception, and abortion have increased following the 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, there remains a dearth of information about—and policy attention to—women.....