New Research Reports
Gender Pay Gap Reporting: A Comparative Analysis
Fawcett Society and the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership | October 14, 2020
This report maps international gender pay gap reporting legislation, with the goal of highlighting best practices internationally and a way forward for the UK. The report highlights the breadth of activity in terms of gender pay gap reporting legislation internationally as well as drawing attention to the strengths of the current UK legislation, and the opportunities moving forward. In terms of transparency and compliance, the UK can be proud of its current world-leading position, but it still has work to do regarding the limited requirements in terms of data and action currently placed on employers. The report also highlights ten other nations and their gender pay reporting practices.
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Women’s Rights Online: closing the digital gender gap for a more equal world
World Wide Web Foundation | Chenaj Chair, Ingrid Brudvig, and Calum Cameron | October 12, 2020
This report provides a global snapshot of the state of digital gender inequality and illustrates the barriers that women face in accessing and using the internet. The Foundation surveyed almost 10,000 women and men across four countries — Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia and Uganda — to find out whether and how they use the internet, and their experiences using the internet. The surveys are complemented by qualitative focus groups with women and men and key informant interviews with government and civil society representatives. Theis Web Foundation analysis has found men are 21% more likely to be online than women — rising to 52% in the world’s least developed countries (LDCs). And this gender gap in internet access continues to grow. Data from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) suggests that globally it has increased by 55% between 2013 to 2019.
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Gender Disparities in Financial Well-Being from the Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia | Jennifer Fernandez and Anna Tranfaglia | October 2020
This report analyzes gender differences with respect to individuals’ banking habits, credit access, and retirement planning from the Federal Reserve Board’s 2018 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). Beyond simply uncovering the disparities, this analysis provides information on the role that financial literacy, race and ethnicity, household composition, household income, and educational attainment play in these outcomes. Multiple regression models are included to analyze the persistence of the gender differences after accounting for socioeconomic characteristics and financial literacy level. The descriptive analysis suggests that men’s and women’s financial lives are different across a number of dimensions, including banking, credit, and retirement planning.
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Learning from the Past: How Prior Federal Legislative Efforts Can Inform Future Legislative Strategies
New America | Kelly Rolfes-Haase and Vicki Shabo | October 1, 2020
In order to help inform paid leave advocates' and lawmakers' federal policymaking efforts, this report examines five diverse case studies involving six federal legislative initiatives between the late 1980 and 2018. It analyzes the roles of government actors; individuals and organizations outside of government; the broader political and policy context; contextual factors and focusing events; and policy frames in the success or failure of federal legislation. It identifies key takeaways that may apply to other legislative initiatives, including paid family and medical leave. The findings illustrate the importance of relationship building, strategic thinking, flexibility in seizing unexpected opportunities, deliberate marketing and creativity in pursuing legislative objectives.
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2020 Progress Update: MeToo Workplace Reforms in the States
National Women’s Law Center | Andrea Johnson, Ramya Sekaran, and Sasha Gombar | September 29, 2020
Three years after #MeToo went viral, the unleashed power of survivor voices has led to more than 230 bills being introduced in state legislatures to strengthen protections against workplace harassment and a remarkable 19 states enacting new protections. This report provides an updated overview of the progress that has been made in advancing workplace anti-harassment reforms in the states from October 2017 to September 2020, as well as in New York City which has been especially active in strengthening its anti-harassment laws. The report also highlights some of the stories of how survivors have led the push for these important state law reforms.
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Flexible Wages, Bargaining, and the Gender Gap
IZA Institute of Labor Economics | Barbara Biasi and Heather Sarsons | September 2020
To answer the question of whether or not flexible pay increases the gender wage gap, this study analyzes the wages of public school teachers in Wisconsin, where at 2011 reform allowed school districts to set teachers’ pay more flexibly and engage in individual negotiations. Using variation in the timing of the introduction of flexible pay this study shows that flexible pay increased the gender pay gap among teachers with the same credentials. This gap is larger for younger teachers and absent for teachers working under a female principal or superintendent. Survey evidence suggests that the gap is partly driven by women not engaging in negotiations over pay, especially when the counterpart is a man. This gap is not driven by gender differences in job mobility, ability, or a higher demand for male teachers.
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