Apply by June 4 - $3.5 Million for Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Grants
The U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau announced $3.5 million in grant funding to encourage women’s employment in Registered Apprenticeship programs and nontraditional occupations such as those in the manufacturing, cybersecurity, and health-care industries.
The WANTO grant program will award up to 10 grants to community-based organizations to recruit, mentor, train, and retain more women in quality Registered Apprenticeship programs and nontraditional occupations.
Apply by June 4, 2021.
Secretary Walsh’s Paid Leave Roundtable
This month Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh hosted a roundtable discussing the need for and importance of a comprehensive, national paid leave program. This discussion featured workers and representatives from Adobe, Danone NA, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Levi Strauss & Co.
Two New Wage Gap Studies
The Women’s Bureau released two new studies on the gender wage gap. An Evaluation of the Gender Wage Gap Using Linked Survey and Administrative Data is an innovative study on the gender wage gap using nationally representative survey data and administrative records from the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. The study was produced by the Women’s Bureau in partnership with the Census Bureau. The study offers the most comprehensive results on the gender wage gap in the United States, evaluating the wage gap in 316 occupations.
The Women’s Bureau also sponsored a second study, Gender-Based Pay Disparity Study, which includes updated estimates of the gender wage gap and an annotated bibliography of recent wage gap studies. This study was conducted by 2M Research. Both studies show the gender wage gap ranges between 17 and 20 percent. That is, on average, women earned 80 to 83 percent of men’s earnings. Even after accounting for differences in men’s and women’s work histories, work hours, industry and occupation distribution, and job characteristics, most of the wage gap remains. Women working full time earned less than men in nearly all occupations. Occupations that had a larger share of women workers paid less, even after accounting for worker and occupational characteristics.
Mother’s Day Blog: 5 Facts on Moms, Work, and COVID-19
Women’s Bureau Director Wendy Chun-Hoon wrote a blog highlighting how COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted working moms, and what needs to be done to help them. Among the facts highlighted, out-of-work mothers ages 25-54 were nearly three times as likely (32% vs 12%) as out-of-work dads to cite COVID-related childcare issues as the reason they were not employed; and 58% of moms said that COVID-related concerns had negatively affected their mental health.
AANHPI Heritage Month Blog: A Year of Challenges and Progress, With More Work Ahead
Women’s Bureau policy analyst Hari Chon wrote a deeply personal blog to honor this AANHPI heritage month. In the blog, she discusses how, even with the backdrop of increasing AANHPI leadership in the Biden-Harris administration and Congress, the pandemic era has uniquely impacted the AANHPI community through heightened prejudice and discrimination, and the devastation to the small business and food- service economy.
Blog: The Diverse Experiences of AANHPI Women at Work
Women’s Bureau staff members Hari Chon and Gretchen Livingston published a blog highlighting the fact that although AANHPI women are referred to collectively, their experiences vary greatly. The blog examines labor force participation rates, unemployment rates, occupational profiles, median annual earnings, and education differences among women in the most populous AANHPI subgroups. Among other facts in the blog, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women had the lowest median annual earnings of $38,836, which were about half of the earnings of Asian Indian women ($75,985).
New Data Available: Mothers and Families
The Women’s Bureau recently posted updated, interactive statistics on selected characteristics for mothers and families. Information includes labor force participation, unemployment, occupations, and earnings. Our analyses illustrate, among other things, that labor force participation rates are lower for mothers with younger children compared with those with older children; this pattern does not hold among dads.
Share Your Story with Us
The Women’s Bureau has been collecting stories from women to learn about how they are navigating work, family, and the economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic--their struggles, their coping strategies, and their ideas about what would help them succeed.
Please consider sharing your story with us, so we can continue to create an economy that works for women.
Hear from women who have already shared their stories: Ashley Bostick, member leader with 9to5 Georgia; Christina Hayes, volunteer for Mothering Justice; Nour Quytan, restaurant worker with the Restaurant Opportunities Center; Rev. Harriet Bradley, health-care worker; and Daniella Knight, part-time worker and mom.
Military Spouse Appreciation Day Event
To honor Military Spouse Appreciation Day, the Women’s Bureau co-hosted an event with the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service and Joining Forces that featured remarks from Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. Others spoke on topics ranging from what the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plans mean for military families to finding work during a pandemic.
New Resource on Apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship has released a new resource on apprenticeship Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). The new EEO in Registered Apprenticeship web pages are a go-to source of information about the EEO regulations for Registered Apprenticeship Programs and promoting apprenticeship diversity and inclusion.
Businesses and other apprenticeship program sponsors, apprenticeship partners, and apprentices can visit these web pages to find:
- Information about EEO responsibilities of program sponsors
- Quick reference guides that address key EEO topics
- Tools for expanding outreach and recruitment of diverse workers
- Resources about underrepresented populations in apprenticeship programs, including women, individuals with disabilities, and people of color
- Ready-to-use materials for conducting workplace harassment training
- Information about how apprentices file discrimination complaints
- Forms, posters, and other resources to help sponsors meet the EEO requirements
Follow the Women's Bureau on Twitter: @WB_Dol
The Women’s Bureau has championed the rights of working women and served as a convener of conversations for the past 100 years.
Follow us at @WB_DOL to view our #FridayFirsts series highlighting pioneering women, and to learn more about the latest research, initiatives, policies, and updates related to working women. We look forward to continuing the thoughtful conversations on Twitter that we've had with our stakeholders for the last 100 years!