Economic Development & Security

Women are active players driving the economy, nationally and globally. They are important breadwinners for their families, grow most of the world’s food and are entering the formal and informal sectors of the labor market in increasing numbers. Despite their enormous contributions, women are still largely absent from leadership positions and their voices and perspectives are often missing from economic policymaking at the local, regional, national and international levels. To promote their wellbeing, women need access to adequate income and quality education to support themselves and their families. Women still earn less than men and make up a disproportionate number of the poor, both nationally and globally. In the United States, women’s wellbeing and advancement depend on their access to basic services, opportunities and safety nets, such as paid sick leave, affordable child care and elder care, advanced education, health care and adequate housing.

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Critical Issue: Measuring the impact of economic recovery efforts on women and families

Several experts from NCRW member centers are examining the impact of the Amercian Recovery and Reinvestment Act on women and low-income families. As efforts continue to restore and jumpstart the economy, it is critical that policymakers and the public be aware of how effective these efforts are at addressing the challenges faced by those left vulnerable by the recession, joblessness and the housing crisis. For more information, visit our Economic Stimulus Package page in the Projects and Programs tab.

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Blog Posts

This Sunday, bouquets of roses, Hallmark cards, and restaurant reservations will be deployed by citizenry anxious to promote and valorize an ideal...
Quality early care and education are truly a gifts that will keep on giving, not only to mothers but to all of us.  We’re not saying that...
Did you know that women are more likely to face negative social consequences for negotiating?  This seems to go against the pervasive...
A recent New York Times editorial states that under the Obama administration the homeless population has remained steady. The American Recovery and...
By Shyama Venkateswar, Ph.D.*I joined a distinguished panel of researchers, advocates, and experts at the Yale Club on Thursday, January 19th when I...

Member Experts

Dinah Asante is Executive Assistant to the President. She has an M.S. in Urban Policy from the New School and studied at Algonquin College in...
LyndaS's picture
Lynda M. Sagrestano, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis.  She earned a Ph.D. in social psychology...
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Nancy Biberman founded WHEDco in 1991 with the vision of restoring the South Bronx to the beautiful, bustling place it once was. WHEDco’s first...
nataliac's picture
Natalia Cardona, is the Constituency Engagement Manager at the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID). Cardona has worked on issues of...
EileenA's picture
Eileen Appelbaum joined the Center for Economic Policy and Research in 2010 after eight years at Rutgers University as Professor and Director of the...
Radhika's picture
Radhika Balakrishnan, Executive Director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership, and Professor, Women's and Gender Studies, has a Ph.D. in...
Rita HJ's picture
Rita Henley Jensen is Founder and Editor in Chief of award-winning nonprofit news service Women's eNews (www.womensenews.org) and its sister site...
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Dr. Mariko Chang is the author of the new book, Shortchanged: Why Women Have Less Wealth and What Can Be Done About It, and the main author of the...
Sari Pekkala Kerr is an economist and a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College. She joined the WCW in 2010...

News

  • July 26, 2010

    NPR: "More than 6 months after the earthquake, Haitians -- and particularly Haitian women -- continue to struggle. Danielle St. Lot has held several positions in Haiti's government, and has spent much of her career focused on promoting...


  • July 25, 2010

    Independent:  British women are going bankrupt at an alarming rate--an over 28 per cent increase in the past year alone.  While some argue that women are irresponsible with their money, and have incurred debt maintaining lavish lifestyles,...


  • July 23, 2010

     CNN: Rwandan women make up 70% of the population, and are currently the economic backbone of this war-torn country.  They are building small businesses and becoming entrepreneurs so that they can gain equality in Rwandan economy.


  • July 18, 2010

    New York Times: According to a new report, maternal mortality is higher in New York than in almost any other state.  Women of color are the most affected, with black women seven times more likely to die in pregnancy than white women, and Hispanic...


  • July 12, 2010

    Forbes: Women's World Banking (WWB), a global network of 40 microfinance institutions and banks in 28 developing countries is moving into a broad array of products and services for women, including savings, insurance and financial education....