With March coming to a close, we’ve curated recent Urban research that highlights women’s contributions and challenges and offers policy solutions that can make a difference in women’s lives. Women have made tremendous progress, but gender gaps persist. To the women who continue to thrive despite these challenges and inequities, we thank you.
Family and medical leave policies are a critical support for mothers balancing work and family caregiving, but they could be updated to account for modern family dynamics, caregiving needs, and the current labor market.
A “shared decisionmaking” approach to family planning can empower women to make contraceptive choices grounded in facts and personal values and may yield better health outcomes.
Young parents juggling work and school—many of whom are young mothers—are trying to create a better life for their families. Policies and programs can help them succeed by offering supports such as flexible scheduling and help with child care.
Women outnumber men in college and hold more student debt. A federal free college program could expand access to college for more women of color and for women with lower incomes, but much depends on the choices legislators make.
The good news: women are working more and earning more, so the retirement incomes of Gen X and early millennial women will be higher than previous generations. The bad news: the gender gap in earnings persists.
