about the issues

Promoting equal pay and fair workplace practices
Women Employed works to strengthen legal protections and improve the enforcement of equal pay laws. We develop policy solutions and advocate for prevention of sexual harassment, a higher minimum wage, and reasonable overtime rules.

Promoting work-family balance
Women Employed is leading the Illinois Paid Leave Coalition to bring family and medical leave to more working families. Working with public officials and organizations, we have developed a paid sick days program in Illinois to help workers who cannot afford to take unpaid leaves to care for themselves or ill family members, or go to medical appointments. Share your experience regarding paid leave or the lack of it in your workplace. Then, take our new two-minute survey to share information about your paid sick days policy.

Women Employed is also addressing the problem of volatile scheduling. The lack of predictability and consistency in work hours is a critical issue for low-income working women that interferes with their ability to care for their families and advance their educations. Women Employed is working with a group of national advisors to strategize ways to raise awareness of the problem and identify effective policy solutions. To learn more, see our Review of the Research.

Strengthening affirmative action and ensuring that the nation's main anti-discrimination agency, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), strongly enforces the law
Affirmative action requires that companies doing business with the federal government be equal opportunity employers. Women Employed advocates with the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure that those obligations are enforced. Women Employed makes recommendations to improve the way the EEOC works. Our goals are to ensure that the agency assists individuals effectively and targets systemic discrimination to help the greatest number of people.

Encouraging employers to adopt model equal employment opportunity policies
Women Employed works with employers to develop and implement policies to eliminate sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and other practices that limit women's opportunities.

Advising women facing unfair or illegal workplace issues
Women Employed provides a weekly telephone job problems counseling service for women experiencing problems at work.