WASHINGTON, D.C. — Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) and IWF’s Center for Economic Opportunity today released the third edition of their report, Working for Women: A Modern Agenda to Help Women Strive and Thrive. The third edition of “Working for Women” reflects changes in our economy and the need to identify policy reforms that will give women greater opportunities to flourish.
The last edition of the report, released in 2020, laid out specific policy reforms to create the conditions for a growing economy, in the midst of a once-in-a-generation pandemic, which upended life and work for women, with residual effects still felt today. Many of the recommendations laid out in the previous “Working for Women” agenda have been implemented – leading to progress, lowered tax burdens, and increased opportunities. Yet while working women in America have more opportunities to craft the careers and lives they want, government challenges have intensified, as policymakers push top-down government policies to address what they perceive as inequities in society.
“Working for Women, Third Edition” addresses what remains to be done to help advance women’s prospects by encouraging reforms that return resources and control to individuals so that women can make choices that best suit themselves and their families.
Recommended reforms include:
- Reducing regulatory burdens on entrepreneurs;
- Expanding affordable childcare options for parents;
- Scaling back government micromanagement of employer-employee relationships;
- Shoring up personal and national fiscal futures; and
- Protecting self employment and respecting the employment-related choices of women.
Patrice Onwuka, director of the Center for Economic Opportunity at IWF, said, “Balancing personal priorities, improved well-being, and financial security now and in the future are what women seek today. They want to be in charge of their careers and time, not have government bureaucrats calling the shots. One-size-fits-all solutions may be well-intentioned and may even help some people, but backfire for many more by making our workplaces less flexible and discouraging job creation. The Working for Women report offers policymakers an agenda to expand new opportunities and economic mobility to more women.”
Carrie Lukas, president of Independent Women’s Forum, added, “Women are facing big challenges in this economy today. Better policies can create more opportunity and greater financial security. That’s what the Working for Women Agenda offers. Rather than a government-knows-best approach, we need policies that create a greater diversity of work relationships and services that enable women to craft the lives they want. We need more diverse daycare options and benefit packages so that women can make choices that reflect their unique preferences and situations.”
Read the report HERE.
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Independent Women’s Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well intended but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.
Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) aims to educate the public about how government policies impact people’s opportunities for economic development and upward mobility.