IWPR publishes reports, fact sheets, and briefing papers with women as the central point of analysis, using federal and state data sources. These documents focus on gender equality and its effects on social mobility, income security, education, employment, and social issues. IWPR identified that prohibitions on discussing pay with co-workers contribute to the gender pay gap.
Workforce Participation A 2019 IWPR released a report on a study funded by the
March of Dimes Center for Social Science Research. The study, which investigated factors related to women's workforce participation after having a child, found that nearly 30% of women leave their jobs in the year following childbirth or adoption, with 20% of women not returning to work within ten years. The study demonstrated that paid family leave reduced women's attrition from the labor market by 20%. IWPR has also investigated gender inequity in United States Patents for inventions, finding that only 7.7% of patents filed between 1977 and 2010 list a woman as the primary investigator.
Social Status IWPR first published social indicators for women's fiscal, political, and reproductive autonomy in 1996, which are used as indices for the
Status of Women in the States reports. These IWPR indicators have been used by other researchers to look for correlations between women's status and other characteristics such as women's health outcomes. New indicators were issued by IWPR in 2020 to measure equality in dimensions of work and family. These include paid leave, childcare, and the labor force participation of parents. The survey found that 20% of all parenting students enrolled in higher education felt unwelcome on campus, with higher percentages for Black and Hispanic/Latino students. The report identified institutional policies, student services, and campus characteristics that contribute to this sense of isolation. ==References==