Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR)

In July 2023, IWPR interim president and CEO Daisy Chin-Lor released a statement responding to the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision that overturned the purported federal right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade. Chin-Lor described Dobbs as the “decision that took away the right to safe and legal abortion in America,” and claimed, “we are only beginning to see the harm this cruel decision is inflicting on women in America.” ² The statement  by Chin-Lor praised left-of-center activists around the country for attempting to “hold accountable those responsible” for this “terrible and misguided decision.” ²

In 2023, IWPR released a report claiming that Black women earn less than white men in every state, and that this alleged gap will not close at the current pace until 2144. It further claimed this was  due to discrimination and that Black female workers were being “concentrated in undervalued care and service jobs,” while suffering from “underrepresentation in good jobs in construction and manufacturing.” The report further claimed that many in this demographic were single parents and thus had increased family care-giving responsibilities  without access to paid leave. ³

IWPR has received at least one annual  grant from the Ford Foundation every year between 2010  and 2019. ⁴

Background

Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a think tank founded in 1987 claiming to promote research  supporting  public policy to economic equity for women. Within its first year of formation, IWPR released a study, titled “Unnecessary Losses: Costs to Americans of the Lack of Family and Medical Leave” that claimed to  discuss the costs of unpaid leave during childbirth, personal health needs, and family care giving. ⁵

Activities

Institute for Women’s Policy Research publishes research reports  advocating for policy responses to issues including increasing female equity. ⁵ IWPR’s website lists its core research areas that include “Economic, Security, Mobility and Equality,” “Center for the Economics of Reproductive Health,” “Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Economy,” “Research and Action Hub,” “Status of Women,” and “Student Parent Success Initiative.”  Several topics mentioned in its reporting include the gender wage gap, discrimination in the workplace and hiring process, welfare reform, and access to social policies like healthcare, education, and  childcare. ⁵

IWPR claims its work has been cited by the New York Times, the Washington Post, TIME, USA Today, The Atlantic, the Huffington Post, Vox, Buzzfeed, the Daily Beast, and several broadcast and cable networks. ⁵

IWPR has published several  articles  defending abortion access while accusing lawmakers of seeking to limit abortion. ⁶ In July 2023, IWPR interim president and CEO Daisy Chin-Lor released a statement responding to the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Chin-Lor described Dobbs as the “decision that took away the right to safe and legal abortion in America,” and claimed, “we are only beginning to see the harm this cruel decision is inflicting on women in America.” The statement characterized abortion access as “the most basic of freedoms,” and Chin-Lor claimed to praise activists for attempting to “hold accountable those responsible” for this “terrible and misguided decision.” ²

In partnership with Florida Women’s Funding Alliance (FWFA), in 2023 IWPR published a report on the state of “reproductive rights” in the state of Florida. The report claimed abortion access is “central to a woman’s economic security” while claiming women in the state have less access to the procedure. The report further claimed that one in five women in Florida live in a county without an abortion provider,  suggesting policy responses such as protecting and expanding national abortion access, introducing work-arounds to abortion access in states that have stricter measures, increasing funding for Title X programs, and granting abortion rights by ballot measure in several states. ⁷

IWPR claims that one of its key research topics is the intersection of race and gender with economic matters. ⁸ In 2023, IWPR released a report claiming that Black women earn less than white men in every state, and that this alleged gap will not close at the current pace until 2144. It attributed this disparity to discrimination, and argued that Black female workers were “concentrated in undervalued care and service jobs” while suffering from “underrepresentation in good jobs in construction and manufacturing.” The report further claimed that many in this demographic were single parents and thus had increased family care-giving responsibilities without access to paid leave. ³

Finances

In 2021, Institute for Women’s Policy Research reported a total revenue of $10,106,680, total expenses of $4,701,752, and net assets of $14,511,317. ⁹

Funding

Institute for Women’s Policy Research does not disclose its donors, as is permitted under U.S. tax laws. ¹⁰

IWPR has received a grant from the Ford Foundation every year from 2010 to at least 2019. ⁴ Public disclosures show that it also receives funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Eos Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. ⁴

Leadership

As of 2023, Daisy Chin-Lor was the interim president and CEO of Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Chin-Lor was a former board member of the organization. She also sat on the boards of the American Institute for Managing Diversity, and the Council of Asian American Women. ¹¹

The group’s board includes Hilary Doe, the chief strategy officer at NationBuilder; fundraising strategist Beth Grupp; Darrick Hamilton, a professor of economics and urban policy at The New School;  Joan Marsh, the chief regulatory and state external affairs officer at AT&T; Ann Mosle, the vice president and executive director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute; Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner, the co-founder and executive director of MomsRising; and Paula Sammons, the senior program officer at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. ¹²