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Washington, D.C. — Women are driving many of the United States’ economic successes. Not only were they the primary drivers of the strong labor market in 2023, but their spending powered the economy, and they are expected to control two-thirds of consumer spending by 2028. Yet women continue to face economic insecurity throughout their lives, which is partly driven by the failure of policymakers to center them in economic plans. Between the persistent gender wage gap and continuous attacks on reproductive freedoms, women’s economic security has been anything but secure.
The Center for American Progress’ new “Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy” offers a blueprint for actions that both federal and state policymakers can take to strengthen women’s economic security. Most importantly, it makes the case for how an economy that delivers for women is an economy that delivers for all.
CAP’s “Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy” features 13 chapters covering everything from protecting and increasing abortion access and guaranteeing paid family and medical leave, to ending workplace discrimination and harassment and realizing equal pay, to expanding women’s access to male-dominated industries and dismantling employment barriers for disabled women and immigrant women in the health care sector, and more. The playbook contains a suite of policy options readily available for policymakers to guarantee family planning and care, deliver good jobs, and build a labor force to meet the demands of the country’s future.
Historically, women turn out to vote at higher rates than men and list economic concerns as a top voting issue, and they’ve made their voices heard time and again in referendums. Ahead of the 2024 election, this is likely to continue. Policymakers should listen and respond to the needs of women—or else they risk not just their political success but also the U.S. economy.
“This playbook offers ready-to-use solutions to fast-track the advancement of women’s economic security and help the United States unlock women’s—and the economy’s—full economic potential,” said Rose Khattar, director of economic analysis for Inclusive Economy at CAP. “For decades, women have suffered from systemic economic inequities – from wages that are too low and costs that are too high—and this has plagued women at every stage of their lives, costing not just women and their families, but the economy at large.
“Current and aspiring federal and state policymakers have an opportunity to create a new reality for women that expands their economic opportunities and secure the gains they’ve already made to ensure their economic well-being and, by doing so, invests in the U.S. economy,” said Sara Estep, associate director of the Women’s Initiative at CAP. “The playbook includes a suite of recommendations for policy action that will help strengthen women’s economic security and help put women and families economic security first—because an economy that helps women thrive is an economy that helps everyone thrive.”
Read the playbook: “Playbook for the Advancement of Women in the Economy” by Rose Khattar and Sara Estep
The Center for American Progress is a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America that ensures opportunity for all. We believe that Americans are bound together by a common commitment to these values and we aspire to ensure that our national policies reflect these values. We work to find progressive and pragmatic solutions to significant domestic and international problems and develop policy proposals that foster a government that is “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”
