New policy paper argues insufficient policy investments in family-friendly workplaces are key contributors

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 24, 2024 – A new policy paper released today by the National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) shows that the United States would have had close to $7 trillion more in GDP over the last decade, if U.S. women’s labor force participation rates matched those of peer nations.

The paper reflects on the current state of play for women in the economy 10 years after the White House Summit on Working Families, which focused attention on the issues – from discrimination to caregiving challenges – that kept women out of the workforce back then, and still do now.

Exploring some of the key factors affecting women’s economic participation, the paper shows that if the share of women in the workforce was on par with other wealthy countries, such as Germany and Canada that have more family-friendly policies in place, it would have impacted our economy in a number of positive ways:

• The number of prime-age women in the labor force would have increased by 4.6 million in 2023 alone.
• The nation’s GDP would have been 3 percent higher on average over the last decade.
• The U.S. economy would have had an additional $6.7 trillion in GDP over the last decade.

The new resource also acknowledges the policy wins and strides made since 2014. Some of the significant wins highlighted in the report include the passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, the Pump Act which supports nursing parents at work, and the passage of paid leave in more than quadruple the number of states than had done so in 2014.

“America’s policies around work, family, and well-being were never focused on centering the needs of women and women of color. Barriers that deter women from staying in the workforce, or limit their participation overall, are harmful to our economy – and that’s why businesses have a stake in having policy solutions that help workers address their caregiving needs,” said Jocelyn C. Frye, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. “A lack of investments in women workers hurts all of us, and there is still a long way to go. More must be done.”

The paper closes with recommendations to create an economy that works for women, especially women of color. They include:

• Expanded opportunities for women in high-paying roles and non-traditional jobs where they are underrepresented.
• Stronger pay data collection broken down by race, gender, ethnicity, disability and other factors to support enforcement of fair pay standards , as well as protection against discrimination.
• The Paycheck Fairness Act and other fair pay protections and practices, including the full funding of agencies that investigate and enforce fair pay.
• A higher minimum wage and elimination of the subminimum wage for tipped workers.
• Family-friendly workplace standards, such as the Healthy Families Act for paid sick days and the FAMILY Act for a national paid leave program.
• Pregnancy discrimination protections, as provided in the newly-enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and access to quality, affordable child care and home and community-based services, and predictable schedules are also essential for retention and advancement of women in the workforce.

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