Tradeswomen Building Infrastructure grant announcement
Last week, Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su, Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the award of the $1.35 million Tradeswomen Building Infrastructure (TBI) grant to the State of Illinois and Chicago Women in Trades (CWIT). The TBI grant furthers efforts to create pathways for women into building trades apprenticeships and public works construction careers, at a time when federal funding for public works is flowing to states and cities. The Women’s Bureau and the entire Biden-Harris administration are committed to implementing federal funds with equity, worker voice, and job quality front and center.
Acting Secretary Su and Director Chun-Hoon traveled to Chicago for an event with Governor Pritzker, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, and CWIT, where they discussed the impact of the TBI grant and the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing In America agenda.
- Read the press release
- Read Chicago Sun-Times coverage of the announcement
- View photos from the announcement
- Watch a video of Acting Secretary Su, Gov. Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Patton discussing the grant
- Learn more about the TBI grant
Women’s Equality Day
The Women’s Bureau celebrated Women’s Equality Day on August 26, marking the 103rd anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Director Wendy Chun-Hoon penned a blog discussing recent labor force developments and how the Women's Bureau, alongside the rest of the Biden-Harris administration, is working to ensure that women benefit from the administration’s historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy.
Chart of the month
Since 1948, when the U.S. government began collecting data on labor force participation among women, the participation rate of women ages 25-54 (“prime-age” workers ) has more than doubled.
Breastfeeding Awareness Month
The Department of Labor undertook a variety of activities to acknowledge Breastfeeding Awareness Month – August – including outreach to stakeholders about two new federal laws that support pregnant and nursing workers, the PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon and Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Administrator Jessica Looman participated in a press call with the U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Women’s Caucus to discuss the importance of these laws.
- Read our Nursing Employees Workplace Protections flyer
- Check out resources on pumping at work from the Wage and Hour Division
- View PWFA resources from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and comment on their proposed rule
Labor Rights Week
Labor Rights Week – the week leading up to Labor Day – is an opportunity to help employees get to know their rights, and employers their responsibilities, with hundreds of outreach events across the country.
This year, the Department affirms that all workers in the U.S. have rights, regardless of their immigration status. On August 28, in partnership with the Embassy of Mexico, agencies led by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) held an event in Washington, D.C. to mark Labor Rights Week and roll out new resources. Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon made remarks.
This year the Department is especially pleased to offer a new tool, the MigrantWorker.gov and TrabajadorMigrante.gov websites, which are a one-stop shop of resources for migrant employees who are working in the U.S.
- Visit MigrantWorker.gov or TrabajadorMigrante.gov
- Read the press release
- Watch and share ILAB’s short videos for migrant workers
New releases from the Women’s Bureau and partners
- For Safe + Sound Week 2023, Women’s Bureau staff wrote a blog about some of the ways gender intersects with workplace safety. Check it out here.
- The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration interviewed Women’s Bureau Deputy Director Leah Rambo and Infrastructure Investment Equity Fellow Tammi Fleming for an article about women in highway construction jobs. Read it here.
- The Department of Labor’s Office for Disability Employment Policy released a report on women with disabilities in the labor market. View it here.
In Case You Missed It
Helping Women Take the Mystery out of Retirement Planning
Together with the Employee Benefits Security Administration, the Social Security Administration, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Women’s Bureau participated in a comprehensive webinar on key issues women face in planning for retirement.
Getting in the Game: Women in Professional Sports
In celebration of the anniversaries of Title IX and the Equal Pay Act, the Women’s Bureau hosted a roundtable conversation with women in the professional sports industry. Bringing together a diverse panel of women working in both men’s and women’s athletics, this webinar generated awareness about the challenges women experience when pursuing careers in a predominately male industry, discussed practical ways to create a more equitable workplace, and shared strategies to help women pursue opportunities in professional sports.
Women’s Bureau Speaking Engagements
Women’s Bureau Deputy Director Gayle Goldin (pictured above with Special Assistant to the President Rachel Vogelstein) participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Seattle, along with ILAB, the White House Gender Policy Council, and the U.S. State Department, and spoke on a panel titled “Care Economy & Structural Reform.” She highlighted the importance of public investments in the care economy in the U.S. context and shared the Bureau’s ongoing work and research on gender and racial equity, paid leave, and reducing gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.
Women’s Bureau Deputy Director Goldin participated in a panel during the 74th Annual International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies Conference that discussed successful strategies to address gender-based violence in the world of work, including highlighting the principles of International Labour Organization Convention 190. She spoke about the Women’s Bureau’s work to implement the Biden-Harris administration’s National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and convene industry stakeholders, workers, government officials, and employers.
The Women’s Bureau, along with ILAB, the Civil Rights Center, and the EEOC, met with State Department International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) participants from Egypt to discuss practical applications to promote equal opportunity for women. We shared information about our work to increase women’s access to nontraditional occupations, reduce caregiving penalties, and prevent and address gender-based discrimination, violence, and harassment.
WB in the News
- MarketWatch: Childcare expenses keep rising. Our calculator tracks the cost where you live
- Motherly: What Is A Child Care Cliff? What Parents Need To Know
- ChicagoTribune.com: Gov. J.B. Pritzker promotes investing in female trade workers
- Fox32Chicago: Massive effort in Illinois to increase number of women working in trades
We Want to Hear from You!
“Occupational segregation” is the gendered sorting of men and women into different types of jobs. It leads to women being overrepresented in certain jobs, which are valued and compensated less than male-dominated jobs.
We’ve heard from many working women about their experiences with gendered job expectations, the challenges they face at work, the support systems that help them thrive and the policy changes that would help them succeed. We'd like to hear from you.
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The Women’s Bureau has championed the rights of working women and served as a convener of conversations critical to an equitable economy for women for more than 100 years.
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