As the country prepared to hear more about the policies championed by 2020 presidential candidates in the first series of Democratic debates, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) released an eight-point economic agenda that compiles findings from a wide body of literature that show that prioritizing women-centered policies can boost the economy for everyone.
“The debates present the first national opportunity to understand and assess each candidate’s policy platform. Not only do candidates need to show women voters that they take their concerns seriously, they must also present a compelling agenda that can improve the economic security of lower and middle class Americans. Adopting a women-centered economic agenda is good politics and good policy,” said economist and IWPR President Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D.
The economic agenda identifies the following 8 policy priorities that would boost the economy for everyone, based on social science and policy research:
• Cut poverty in half by ensuring equal pay
• Address sexual harassment and assault on the job
• Ensure equal access to high-quality Jobs
• Improve access to paid family leave, paid sick days, and child care
• Support female entrepreneurs
• Restore and preserve the social safety net
• Expand and protect Social Security and Medicare
• Support labor unions
The fact sheet also includes evidence-based action steps that policymakers, businesses, and community leaders can take to advance these policy priorities at the state, local, and federal level.
“Presidential candidates have an influential platform for shaping public dialogue on these issues, but state and local policymakers are on the front lines of advancing economic policies that affect women and their families. This agenda presents a roadmap for enacting policies that are backed up by rigorous research,” Dr. Hartmann said.
Read the new fact sheet, “A Woman-Centered Economic Agenda: 8 Policies that Boost the Economy and Work for Everyone,” at IWPR.org.
The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that conducts and communicates research to inspire public dialogue, shape policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of women of diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and experiences. IWPR also works in collaboration with the Program on Gender Analysis in Economics at American University.
