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Policy Proposals

Modernizing U.S. Labor Standards for 21st-Century Families

By: Bridget Ansel, Heather Boushey
October 19, 2017
Employment & Wages, Social Insurance
Full Paper

The Problem

Women now make up almost half the U.S. workforce, and more than half of the U.S. population. Despite the central role women play in the economy, our labor laws and institutions do little to address the various ways in which women are held back at work. This not only hampers women’s economic well-being, but also has implications for U.S. productivity, labor force participation, and economic growth.

The Proposal

In this paper, Ansel and Boushey propose policies aimed at boosting women’s economic outcomes: paid family leave, fair scheduling, and combatting wage discrimination. They show how enacting carefully designed policies will better address the challenges of today’s labor force, enhance women’s economic outcomes, and provide benefits for the national economy.

Abstract

Women now make up almost half the U.S. workforce, and more than half of the U.S. population. Despite the central role women play in the economy, our labor laws and institutions do little to address the various ways in which women are held back at work. This not only hampers women’s economic well-being, but also has implications for U.S. productivity, labor force participation, and economic growth. In this paper, Ansel and Boushey propose policies aimed at boosting women’s economic outcomes: paid family leave, fair scheduling, and combatting wage discrimination. They show how enacting carefully designed policies will better address the challenges of today’s labor force, enhance women’s economic outcomes, and provide benefits for the national economy.

Full Paperpdf

Contact

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Marie Wilken
Phone: (202) 540-7738
[email protected]

Authors

Bridget Ansel

Policy Analyst, Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Heather Boushey

President and CEO, Washington Center for Equitable Growth

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