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#WorkingFamilies 

National Toolkit: 

White House Summit on Working Families
1 #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit: 

White House Summit on Working Families

2 Overview: The White House Summit 

on Working Families

3 Background: Achieving economic security 

for working families

7 Did you know? Key facts and stats about working families

8 Questions and answers

11 Get involved

13 Tools for planning your own event

15 Join the #WorkingFamilies conversation online

16 Shareable charts and infographics

28 Other resources

32 Endnotes

Contents
1 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

#WorkingFamilies National Toolkit: 

White House Summit on Working Families

This spring, President Barack Obama will convene a White House Summit on Working Families 

to focus on how we can help our labor market work better in the 21st century by strengthening our 

nation’s workplaces to better support working families. These changes are necessary to make sure 

that we are making the best use of all of America’s talent, boosting businesses’ bottom lines, and 

ensuring America’s global economic competitiveness in the coming decades. 

The White House Summit on Working Families will be hosted jointly by the Center for American 

Progress, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the White House. We will convene businesses, academics, labor leaders, legislators, advocates, the media, and ordinary citizens for a discussion on 

issues facing the entire spectrum of working families—from young people just starting their work 

lives, to low-wage workers, to corporate executives; from young parents caring for their children to 

adult children caring for their own aging parents. 

Creating a 21st century workplace that works for everyone 

To create workplaces that are competitive in today’s global economy, we must make full use of the 

talented pool of American workers. Succeeding in this endeavor requires new thinking about how 

the workplace and families interact. The White House Summit on Working Families will focus 

on strategies to ensure that all members of our society have equal access to high-quality jobs. Of 

particular significance is the increasingly important role of women as breadwinners in working 

families. Topics will include key issues such as workplace flexibility and paid leave, equal pay, access 

to family and medical leave, access to sick days, workplace discrimination, career advancement, 

worker retention and promotion, opportunities for low-wage workers, elder care, child care, and 

early childhood education. 

How to get involved 

Everyone has a role to play in making sure our workplaces work for all Americans. Take action, 

share your story, and tell others your ideas. This toolkit provides resources to help you make sure 

your voice is heard. 

Need further assistance? We’re here to help! Contact: workingfamilies@americanprogress.org or 

visit workingfamiliessummit.org.
2 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Overview: The White House 

Summit on Working Families

In Spring of 2014, the White House, the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Center for 

American Progress (CAP), will host a Summit on Working Families to set an agenda for a 21st

century workplace that works for all Americans to ensure that America is making the most of our 

diverse pool of talent, with a special focus on women and their families. 

A growing number of working Americans—both men and women—struggle to balance the needs 

of their families with the responsibilities of their jobs. These interactions between work and family 

life affect both families and businesses and yet many businesses are still struggling to identify and 

implement policies that will help both them and their employees better succeed. For example, 

studies show that family-friendly workplace policies can actually enhance businesses’ profitability, 

yet many companies report that they lack the tools and expertise to redesign their workplaces to 

capture this competitive advantage. 

This Summit will explore how, as the demographics of our workforce change, our workplaces can 

change with them to ensure that our workers are able to reach their full potential. By supporting 

working families we will help boost businesses’ bottom lines, and ensure America’s global economic 

competitiveness in the coming decades.

The Summit will convene businesses, economists, labor leaders, legislators, advocates, and the media 

for a discussion on issues facing the entire spectrum of working families—from low-wage workers to 

corporate executives; from parents caring for their children to adult children caring for aging parents. 

Through panel discussions, research presentations and hands-on workshops, we will explore the 

challenges facing working families; make the business and economic case for policies that support 

working families; showcase companies doing exemplary work in this space; and highlight model 

laws and policies from cities and states across the country. The Summit will focus on key issues such 

as workplace flexibility, equal pay, workplace discrimination, worker retention and promotion, and 

child care/early childhood education. 

In the months leading up to the Summit, the White House, CAP, and DOL will engage groups 

and individuals across the country to identify initiatives that benefit America’s working families, 

American businesses, and the American economy. These discussions will be highlighted at the 

Summit, which will serve as a pivotal, catalyzing moment to begin building momentum around 

key policy goals and best practices.
3 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Strong working families are vital to our nation’s economic growth and prosperity. Yet too many 

families live paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet—and their economic stability depends on both women and men having real opportunities to earn a consistent, dependable 

income for their families throughout their lifetimes. 

There are concrete steps we can take to give all workers the best chance to succeed at work and at 

home. These strategies must include making full use of the entire talent pool of workers so that our 

workplaces are not only fair but also as productive and successful as possible for employers and 

employees alike. In particular, tackling barriers to women’s success in the workplace is critical to 

achieve economic security for working families and to maximize America’s potential.

Women are nearly 50 percent of the workforce1

 and 40 percent of primary breadwinners in 

American families.2

 They have also become some of America’s most skilled workers with higher 

rates of education and advanced training than men. In families where they are not the primary 

breadwinners, they are bringing home a substantial share of the income. Their gains—or losses—

in the workplace can be the difference between whether their family thrives or struggles. Women 

often face unique challenges because they are often primary caregivers for their families3

 and, as a 

result, experience competing demands on their time. Because of the pivotal role women play in the 

overall well-being of working families, policies that promote women’s economic security are essential to protecting working families’ economic stability. 

Pathways to quality employment 

One critical strategy to strengthening the economic well-being of working families is getting all 

workers into good jobs. This includes improving opportunities for women, who have been shut out 

of higher-paying, nontraditional jobs or often work in low-wage jobs that are chronically undervalued and have limited mobility.

Background: Achieving economic 

security for working families
4 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

• Equal pay: Women are consistently paid less than their male counterparts4

 and are a disproportionate share of low-wage workers.5

 Stronger equal pay protections and enforcement measures are 

essential to ensure that our workplaces treat women fairly and operate free of discrimination.

• Minimum wage: Raising the minimum wage is critical to improve the economic security of the 

lowest-wage workers, more than half of whom are women and disproportionately women of 

color.6

 Because women make up nearly two thirds of minimum-wage workers, raising the minimum wage will help shrink the gender wage gap. 

• Improving the quality of low-wage jobs: Many workers—particularly women—are stuck on the 

low-wage “sticky floor,” working in jobs with stagnant wages, few benefits, no access to paid sick 

days, and little upward mobility. Pursuing strategies to increase compensation, provide training 

or skills-building opportunities, and strengthen worker protections can help increase earnings, 

expand job options, and create better career pathways that can lead to better jobs.

• Increase access to jobs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, and 

other nontraditional fields: Many high-paying jobs are in fields that require scientific knowledge 

or technical skills, where women and minorities often have been underrepresented or excluded. 

For example, despite accounting for half of the college-educated workforce, in 2010, women constituted 37 percent of employed individuals with a highest degree in a science and engineering field 

and 28 percent of employed individuals in science and engineering occupations.7

 Furthermore, 

women in STEM jobs make on average 33 percent more than women in non-STEM jobs, and the 

gender wage gap in the STEM professions is smaller than the average gender wage gap.8

 Exploring 

ways to increase the number of women and minorities in these jobs, as well as taking steps to 

expose all young people to these disciplines at an early age, can open new doors to new jobs in 

fields that offer more financial stability for working families.

Keeping workers in good jobs 

The availability of workplace policies that provide much-needed flexibility when inevitable workfamily conflicts arise can have an enormous impact on the ability of workers—particularly women, 

who are disproportionately caregivers9

—to stay in their jobs while responding to the needs of their 

families. These policies can also benefit businesses by allowing workers to continue making productive contributions while also attending to family and other responsibilities. 
5 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

• Paid leave: Many workers are unable to take the time they need to care for their families or themselves because they lack any form of paid time off. Strategies to provide different forms of paid 

leave—paid family and medical leave or paid sick days—can help both women and men, particularly those in low-wage jobs, take time off when necessary without leaving their jobs and putting 

their economic stability at risk.

• Workplace flexibility: Workplace policies that offer greater flexibility—such as the ability to 

adjust work hours, work from home, or have a predictable shift schedule—can play an important 

role in enabling workers to handle both their work and family responsibilities. Such policies also 

can help employers by reducing turnover and absenteeism, increasing worker health, attracting 

and retaining the best workers, and boosting worker productivity.

• Child care and preschool: The lack of quality, affordable preschool or child care options has 

enormous economic implications for families. Without such options, women and men may have 

limited ability to find and keep jobs. Having greater access to high-quality preschool and child 

care can help workers stay in their jobs while also helping children achieve in school.

• Elder care: Millions of Americans need help caring for themselves or family members. As the 

country ages, the need for comprehensive, quality, and affordable long-term care will become 

even more urgent. This challenge may be particularly acute for women, who live longer than men 

but often have fewer financial resources. 

Creating opportunities to succeed and advance in the workplace 

Policies to ensure all workers have a fair chance to advance and succeed in the workplace at every 

level are critical.

• Expanding women’s leadership opportunities: Too often, women are shut out of decisionmaking and leadership roles that are essential for their advancement. The women’s leadership gap 

has practical consequences: It can exclude women from shaping important policies that affect 

their work; it can limit women’s ability to fully participate in a particular workplace; it can mean 

women’s experiences and challenges are not considered when decisions are made. Expanding 

women’s leadership opportunities can also benefit businesses by better utilizing talent and making management more responsive to employees and customers. 
6 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

• Changing the culture of the workplace: Improving women’s advancement opportunities may 

require challenging longstanding attitudes about work and cultural norms in the workplace. 

Views on what constitutes hard work, how much time must be spent in the office, and caregiving 

roles all can affect how women and men are perceived—and judged—in the workplace. Resetting 

workplace norms is critical to ensure that women are best positioned to move up the career ladder and make decisions that are sensible for themselves and their families. Simultaneously, men 

face their own set of gender stereotypes in the workplace that often times prevent them from taking advantage of policies that would give them ability to take on a greater caregiving role at home. 

• Combating workplace discrimination: Even with the enormous progress made by women over 

many decades, women still face discrimination that limits their ability to succeed and advance at 

work. Persistent stereotypes about women’s abilities, skills, and commitment can influence not 

only the jobs women obtain but also their economic standing. Efforts to combat gender-based 

stereotypes and discriminatory practices, such as pregnancy discrimination, are essential to 

ensure that all women are treated fairly on the job.

• Creating career pathways in low-wage jobs: It is essential to expose women in the lowest-wage 

jobs to managerial and leadership opportunities that can lead to higher wages and more advancement opportunities. Exploring innovative programs that expand training and build new skills can 

play an important role in helping women move up the career ladder

All working families deserve the chance to succeed in our economy. More than ever, ensuring the success of women and working families will ensure the success of our economy, our workplaces, and our 

most vulnerable citizens. The White House Summit on Working Families will elevate these issues in 

the national debate and explore how we can create an economy that works for all Americans. 
7 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

More than one in four working families with children are struggling 

to make ends meet.10

• 13 million children live in families with incomes below the poverty 

level,11 while 27.5 percent of female-headed households with children face poverty.12

• Women play an increasingly important role in our nation’s economy. 

Today, women are the primary breadwinner in 41 percent of families and co-breadwinners in another 23 percent.13

• Although an increasing number of women are the primary financial 

provider in their families, on average, women still earn only 77 cents 

for every dollar earned by men.14* Additionally, African American 

and Hispanic women make only 64 cents and 53 cents, respectively, 

for every dollar a white man makes. Paying women who work full 

time, year round the same as men would boost their incomes by 

$6,250 a year on average.15

• Raising women’s wages to that of men would mean adding $447.6 

billion to gross domestic product, or GDP,16 and cutting the poverty 

rate among working women and their families in half, from 8.1 

percent to 3.9 percent.17

• One in three American women either live in poverty or on the 

brink of poverty. Raising women’s wages to that of men would cut 

the poverty rate in half for working women and their families and 

would add nearly half a trillion dollars to the national economy.18

• Despite accounting for half of the college-educated workforce, in 

2010 women constituted 37 percent of employed individuals with the 

highest degree in a science and engineering filed and 28 percent of 

employed individuals in science and engineering occupations.19

• Women hold a disproportionate number of the minimum-wage 

jobs in the United States. In 2012, women made up approximately 

two-thirds of all minimum-wage workers.20 Increasing the minimum 

wage to $10.10 would boost wages for about 15 million women 

and help close the wage gap.21

• The vast majority, or almost 70 percent, of those who hold minimum-wage jobs receive no paid sick days at all.22

• The United States remains the only industrialized nation—and one 

of four in the entire world23—that does not offer paid maternity 

leave, in addition to being the only advanced economy that does 

not guarantee the right to earned sick days.24

• In the American workforce at large, only about 11 percent of 

workers have access to paid family leave that includes time off 

for caregiving,25 yet less than one in three children have a stay-athome parent, compared to about 53 percent a century ago.26 In 

2010, nearly half of the families with children were headed by two 

working parents and another 26.1 percent were headed by a single 

parent.27

• The United States has a large preschool access gap. Only 69 percent 

of 4-year-olds in America are enrolled in early childhood education,28 even though studies have found investments in early childhood education yield enormous benefits. For every $1 invested in 

early childhood education, program participants and society as a 

whole receive $8 in benefits.29

• Only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, and women comprise 16.9 percent of those companies’ boards. Women of color hold 

only 3.2 percent of all board seats within Fortune 500 companies.30

As of 2012, women hold only 17 percent of the senior management 

positions across the country.31

• Women comprise 18.5 percent of Congress,32 the highest percentage ever, but women are still underrepresented at every level of 

government. Women make up only 10 percent of all governors, 13 

percent of mayors of the largest 100 cities, and 24 percent of all 

state legislators.33

We know that the challenges are many, and the stakes could not 

be higher. The success of our families, businesses, and our national 

economy depends on our ability to make sure that women in the 

workplace thrive and gain access to opportunities. 

Did you know? Key facts and stats 

about working families
8 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Questions and answers

Q: Why do we need a White House Summit?

A: We need to ensure that America remains competitive in a global economy by making the most of 

our pool of talent. Ensuring that everyone is able to contribute their full potential requires eliminating 

barriers based on gender and family responsibilities. Workplaces that adjust for a 21st century workforce by ensuring equal pay for equal work, helping families meet their work and home obligations, 

and promoting fairness and good employer practices are key to businesses’ bottom lines, the strength 

of our economy, and our global competitiveness. The financial security of hardworking American 

families is the foundation of a strong economy. Yet today, many of these working families are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to achieve economic stability. The White House Summit on 

Working Families will provide a critical opportunity to bring together leaders from many different sectors to discuss the specific challenges undermining families’ economic security and identify concrete 

solutions that can help families—and our nation—move forward together.

Q: Why working families?

A: The vast majority of American families are working families,34 where one or more family members participate in the labor force. For most of these families, achieving economic security often 

hinges on whether they have stable jobs with decent pay and opportunities for advancement. The 

White House Summit on Working Families will focus on the steps we can take to improve workers’ 

employment options while also making our workplaces stronger and more productive. 

Q: Why is there a special focus on women?

A: The past four decades have seen a dramatic transformation of the U.S. workforce, fueled largely 

by changes in American families. In 1970, millions of American families relied on the support of a 

full-time stay-at-home caregiver, usually a wife. The world of the 21st century is different. Today, 

less than one in three children has a parent that stays at home and women comprise half—49.4 

percent—of all workers on U.S payrolls.35 The movement of women out of the home and into the 

paid labor force stands out as one of the most important transformations of the American workforce. 

Women increasingly play a central role in determining their families’ economic standing—6 in 10 

women are now the sole, primary, or co-breadwinners for their families.36 But many workplaces have 

not caught up. Too many women still earn less than men for doing the same job and often face barriers to job advancement. Workplace policies that provide everyone who works hard with a fair chance 

to succeed are essential to ensure that both women and men can contribute fully to their families.
9 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Q: What is the focus of the White House Summit?

A: The summit will focus on strategies that can make workplaces work better for both workers 

and businesses alike and will include a focus on three objectives: establishing pathways to quality employment, keeping workers in good jobs, and creating opportunities for workers to succeed 

and advance in the workplace. There will be a mix of panel discussions to engage participants in 

identifying concrete policy solutions, showcase employer best practices, discuss the positive impact 

potential policies can have on businesses’ bottom lines, as well as for our economy overall, and offer 

concrete tools that you and your community can use to ensure that we protect working families.

Q: What has the Obama administration done so far to support working families 

and help women reach their full economic potential? 

A: From day one, President Obama has made it his priority to help women reach their full economic 

potential and help families balance their responsibilities at home and at work, while creating more 

productive workplaces. For example, the first piece of legislation the president signed was the Lilly 

Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for women to bring claims of pay discrimination before 

the court. Shortly after, he created the National Equal Pay Task Force to crackdown on violations 

of equal pay laws. He has also worked to make sure the federal government is a model employer—

signing the Telework Enhancement Act and a presidential memorandum to close the gender wage 

gap for federal workers. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also hosted the first ever 

White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility to bring this important issue into the national spotlight, including a report issued by the president’s Council of Economic Advisors on the Economics 

of Workplace Flexibility.37 And in each of his budgets, the president has included a proposal for a 

state paid leave fund to help states with the start-up costs of creating their own paid leave programs. 

Q: Is this just about government solutions?

A: No; everyone has a role to play, and we want everyone to be involved in helping to make our 

workplaces stronger and our families more secure.

Q: What role can the private sector play?

A: Many businesses already see the competitive advantage of organizing work to ensure that women 

and workers with families succeed. They know policies that support women and families lead to 

more productive workers and help business attract and retain their best talent, all while improving 

their bottom line. The White House Summit on Working Families will help showcase businesses 

that are already doing great work as models for success and discuss strategies to recruit even more 

companies to commit to supporting working families. We will invite economists, academics, and 

researchers to make the case for the positive economic impact these types of policies can have on the 

economy and businesses’ bottom line. 
10 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Q: Who can attend the White House Summit?

A: Attendees will come from around the country and will include policy experts, leaders from 

business and academia, legislators, advocates, and interested individuals. In order for the White 

House Summit on Working Families to motivate a public response, we need to hear how our federal 

and local laws affect working families from around the country. It is only by engaging directly with 

communities and by hearing your stories that we can continue to learn about the challenges facing 

working families. All of your voices must be heard, because the challenges facing you and your 

families fundamentally affect how all Americans work and live.

Q: What do we hope to accomplish?

A: We hope the White House Summit on Working Families will fuel and energize a national conversation about the steps we can take to strengthen our workplaces and working families, enhance 

business success, and keep our country competitive in the global economy. Every American—from 

business and government, to academics and advocates, to women and men across the country—

can play a role in helping working families become more economically secure and making our 

country more competitive. We want every participant to walk away with concrete tools and strategies they can use to improve their workplace practices, become more economically secure, and to 

create change in their own communities. 
11 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Get involved

How can you get involved?

You can help educate and empower key stakeholders in your community to join the movement for 

working families by holding events to discuss the challenges facing working families and what we 

can do about it together. We need your help to mobilize advocates, civic groups, businesses, and 

elected officials to join this conversation. With your help, we can demonstrate the breadth of support for working families and tell the compelling stories behind the issues.

Before the White House Summit 

In the lead-up to the White House Summit on Working Families in Washington, D.C., you can help us 

generate a drumbeat of activities across the country that highlights issues to be discussed at the event. 

Tell your story: Submit your story today at workingfamiliessummit.org and help us spread the 

word in communities across the country. We will select stories to share on our website and on 

the day of the White House Summit on Working Families in Washington, D.C. Our website will 

become an online platform where groups across the country post what they are doing to support 

working families in their community. 

Host or attend a local event: Leading up to the summit in Washington, the U.S. Department of 

Labor is hosting regional forums in major cities. You can also host an event in your community. If 

you are hosting an event, please let us know so we can help amplify your work. Sign up for updates 

at workingfamiliessummit.org for more information on hosting events.

Take action:

• Engage with our #WorkingFamilies conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

• You will be able to submit your own questions to the White House Summit on Working Families 

online at workingfamiliessummit.org. 
12 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

During the White House Summit 

Participate in the summit: We want to ensure that businesses, economists, labor leaders, legislators, advocates, and the media will have a voice at the summit. You can learn more about how 

you, your friends, neighbors, and communities can participate in the White House Summit on 

Working Families at workingfamiliessummit.org.

Get connected: Help us amplify the summit across the country for those organizations and individuals who are unable to join us. If you can’t join us in person in Washington, you can watch live 

footage from the summit and organize discussions within your community. 

After the White House Summit

Continue the conversation: We need to continue the #WorkingFamilies conversation across the 

country. By engaging directly with your community, you can learn about the challenges facing 

working families and work for change in your communities.
13 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Tools for planning your own event

During the lead-up to the White House Summit on Working Families in Washington, D.C., you can 

plan events that highlight challenges that women and working families in your community face. 

How to get started

1. Talk to your friends and community members about the top challenges for working families.

• These challenges might include: flexible workplace structures, child care, and fair pay.

2. Find individuals in your community who can help.

• Community leaders 

• Local businesses leaders

• Educators

• Academics

• Neighbors and friends

3. Organize a discussion with members of your community.

Possible discussion ideas:

• Round-table discussions with local business leaders about their workplace flexibility.

• Discussion with a community leader on building support structures for working parents 

and their children.

• Lawmaker speaks on legislative options at the municipal level. 
14 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Sample discussion questions: 

• What specific challenges do working families face in your community? 

• What impact do these challenges have on the children of working families? 

• How are these challenges different for single working parents compared with traditional 

families that have two working parents?

• Do single mothers shoulder special burdens in your community?

• How would working families like to see your community change to support their needs?

• How can your community support working families trying to make ends meet?

• How do your local businesses support working families? 

4. Share your ideas and strategies with others.

• Place opinion editorials in your local newspaper or favorite blog.

• Ask your community leaders to host a press conference to discuss the status of women 

and working families and women in your community.

• Conduct training workshops that provide tools and support to employers and employees 

to take further action to support working families.

• Organize community volunteer groups to help with child care. 

5. Share your event.

• If you are hosting an event, please let us know so we can help amplify your work. Sign up 

for updates at workingfamiliessummit.org for more information on hosting events.
15 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Join the #WorkingFamilies 

conversation online 

#WorkingFamilies is a network of engaged citizens who use Twitter, Facebook, and other social 

platforms to share resources and raise their voice online about the challenges facing working 

women and families. Sign up online at workingfamiliessummit.org to join the #WorkingFamilies 

network today to receive news and updates geared toward online social media including:

• News on regional forum events.

• Ideas and resources to help you educate and engage friends and communities.

• Opportunities to amplify your individual and organizational social media reach.

• Fact sheets, infographics, and other shareable resources. 

Join the conversation and raise your voice in support of working families

• Sign up to join the conversation atworkingfamiliessummit.org

• Follow @amprog and @VJ44 on Twitter 

Take to Twitter and Facebook to tell your story and educate friends and community: 

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• On average, women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.* Use 

#WorkingFamilies to tell us what pay equity would mean for your family

• Increasing the min wage to $10.10 would help close the wage gap for 15 mil women. What 

would $10.10 mean for your family? #WorkingFamilies

• Only about 10% of workers have paid family leave w/ time off for caregiving. What would paid 

leave mean for your family? #WorkingFamilies 

• Help friends and neighbors get informed, get engaged, and join the conversation at 

#WorkingFamilies.

• The % of women with comp. sci & engineering degrees is falling. How do we get more women 

in #STEM? #WorkingFamilieshttp://1.usa.gov/1n7M1CR

• Women are less than 30% of scientists & engineers. How do we get girls into #STEM? 

#WorkingFamilieshttp://1.usa.gov/1f Y2E1N

*Correction, April 11, 2014: This toolkit has been updated to better reflect the gender pay gap. 

On average, women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by men.
16 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

BULGARIA

ESTON

AI

L TI HUAN AI

ZC CE R H UPE

YRAGNUH CI LB

RF

NA CE

AUSTR AI GERMANY KOREA

MEXICO

TURKEY JAPAN

KINGDOM

UNITED

Mapping paid

maternity leave

How many weeks do other nations

provide compared to the United States?

0

AUSTRALIA

56.7

28

21

19.3 16.8

16

16

14

12.8

12.7

12

11.2

9.2 7 2.6

NEW

ZEALAND

Source: Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, “PF2.1: Key characteristics of parental leave systems” (2012).

Note: This chart first appeared in Jane Farrell, “Infographic: Where Are U.S. Women in 2013,” Center for American Progress, March 8, 2013, 

available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2013/03/08/55678/infographic-where-are-u-s-women-in-2013/.

Shareable charts and infographics

Listed below are shareable charts and infographics on issues affecting 

working women and men and their families. 

From the Center for American Progress:
17 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Emerging jobs in the health sector could provide 

great opportunities for women if they paid a living wage 

16 occupations with the most job growth, 2010 and projected 2020 

(numbers in thousands) and percent of women in occupations, 2010

2010 National

Employment Matrix

title and code

Employment Change, 

2010–20

Median

annual wage, 

2010

Percent of 

Women in 

occupation,2010

2010 2020 Number Percent

Registered nurses 2,737.4 3,449.3 711.9 26 64,690 91.1

Retail salespersons 4,261.6 4,968.4 706.8 16.6 20,670 51.9

Home health aides 1,017.7 1,723.9 706.3 69.4 20,560 88.2

Personal care aides 861 1,468 607 70.5 19,640 86.1

Office clerks, general 2,950.7 3,440.2 489.5 16.6 26,610 51.3

Combined food preparation 

and serving workers, 

including fast food

2,682.1 3,080.1 398 14.8 17,950 55.1

Customer service 

representatives 2,187.3 2,525.6 338.4 15.5 30,460 66.6

Heavy and tractor-trailer 

truck drivers 1,604.8 1,934.9 330.1 20.6 37,770 4.6

Laborers and freight, stock, 

and material movers, hand 2,068.2 2,387.3 319.1 15.4 23,460 17.4

Postsecondary teachers 1,756 2,061.7 305.7 17.4 45,690 45.9

Nursing aides, orderlies, 

and attendants 1,505.3 1,807.2 302 20.1 24,010 88.2

Childcare Workers 1,282.3 1,544.3 262 20.4 19,300 94.7

Bookkeeping, accounting, 

and auditing clerks 1,898.3 2,157.4 259 13.6 34,030 90.9

Cashiers 3,362.6 3,612.8 250.2 7.4 18,500 73.7

Elementary school teachers, 

except special education 1,476.5 1,725.3 248.8 16.8 51,660 81.8

Receptionists and 

information clerks 1,048.5 1,297 248.5 23.7 25,240 92.7

Note: This chart first appeared in Jane Farrell and Lindsay Rosenthal, “Growing Occupations Could Help Decrease the Wage Gap if They were to Pay 

a Living Wage,” Center for American Progress, April 9, 2013, available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/news/2013/04/09/59682/

growing-occupations-could-help-decrease-the-wage-gap-if-they-were-to-pay-a-living-wage/.

Source: Employment Projections program, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment and Earnings, January 2011 

available at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ee/empearn201101.pdf.
18 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

The percentage of women

who report delaying 

needed medical care 

because of cost 

The percentage of women

who report giving up basic

necessities to pay for health

care expenses

52 32

Women report their health care decisions are affected by cost

Note: This chart first appeared in Heather Boushey and Jane Farrell, “A Woman’s Agenda for the 21st 

Century: A Dozen Policies to Promote Economic Security for Women and Their Families” (Washington: 

Center for American Progress, 2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/

report/2013/05/23/64276/a-womans-agenda-for-the-21st-century/.

Source: Sheila D. Rustgi, Michelle M. Doty, and Sara R. Collins, “Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Forgoing 

Needed Health Care” (New York: The Commonwealth Fund, 2009).
19 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Most noncollege mothers do not get paid leave after childbirth

Percentage of new mothers using some form of paid leave after birth 

(includes paid maternity, sick, vacation, and/or other paid leave), 2006−2008

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Less than

high school

High school

graduate

Some

college

Bachelor’s 

degree or 

higher

19%

32%

47%

66%

Note: This chart first appeared in Heather Boushey and Jane Farrell, “A Woman’s Agenda for the 21st 

Century: A Dozen Policies to Promote Economic Security for Women and Their Families” (Washington: 

Center for American Progress, 2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/

report/2013/05/23/64276/a-womans-agenda-for-the-21st-century/. 

Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Maternity Leave and Employment Patterns of First-Time Mothers: 

1961–2008, (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2011).
20 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

13.1 million women would see a wage increase 

from a minimum-wage hike

Note: This chart first appeared in Heather Boushey and Jane Farrell, “A Woman’s 

Agenda for the 21st Century: A Dozen Policies to Promote Economic Security 

for Women and Their Families” (Washington: Center for American Progress, 

2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/

report/2013/05/23/64276/a-womans-agenda-for-the-21st-century/.

Source: Center for American Progress analysis of Center for Economic and Policy Research 

Uniform Extracts of Current Population Outgoing Rotation Group data for 2012. Directly 

affected workers are those making between $7.25 and $9. Indirectly affected workers are 

those making between $9 and $10 an hour.

Indirectly affected:

4.2 million workers

Directly affected:

8.9 million workers

13.1

MILLION
21 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Women rely more heavily on Social Security

Social Security benefits as a percentage of income, 2010

Note: This chart first appeared in Heather Boushey and Jane Farrell, “A Woman’s 

Agenda for the 21st Century: A Dozen Policies to Promote Economic Security 

for Women and Their Families” (Washington: Center for American Progress, 

2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/

report/2013/05/23/64276/a-womans-agenda-for-the-21st-century/.

Source: Social Security Administration. “Social Security Is Important to Women” (2012).

Women Men Couples

49%

37%

32%
22 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Women of color strongly support goal of helping 

single-parent families succeed

“Currently, over half the children who are born to mothers under age 30 are born to 

single mothers. With this in mind, please tell me if you agree or disagree with the 

following statement: ‘Government should set a goal of helping society adapt to the 

reality of single-parent families and use its resources to help children and mothers 

succeed regardless of their family status.’”

Note: This chart first appeared in John Halpin, “A New Force for America’s Families: Women 

of Color Strongly Support Workplace Changes and Policies to Address Economic Hardship,” 

Center for American Progress, January 12, 2014, available at http://www.americanprogress.

org/issues/race/report/2014/01/12/81907/a-new-force-for-americas-families-2/.

Source: The Shriver Report/CAP/AARP poll, August–September 2013.

White women 62%

African American women 87%

Latina women 76%

Disagree

30%

Agree

64%

Total percentage of respondents 

who agreed by subgroup

Don't know/refused (6%)
23 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

EARNINGS

CONSUMERS EDUCATION EMPLOYMENT

In recent years, single 

women accounted for twice 

as many new home buyers 

as single men. Women now 

control more than 20 trillion 

dollars in global spending.

Women now outnumber men at every 

level of the higher education ladder. In 

1964, only about 40 percent of women 

enrolled in any type of college. Today, 

that figure is 57 percent—there are 

roughly three million more women 

currently enrolled in college than men. 

In 1970, fewer than 16 percent 

of officials and managers in 

the private sector were 

women, but by 2007, they 

made up 40 percent. 

Women-owned businesses 

now account for nearly 3 

trillion dollars of the gross 

domestic product in 

the United States. 

1967

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009

Co-breadwinner mothers

Women are the breadwinners or co-breadwinners in nearly two-thirds of American families

Breadwinner mothers

11.7%

16%

41.4%

22.5%

63.9%

Note: Breadwinner mothers include single mothers who work and married mothers who earn as much as or more than their husbands. 

Co-breadwinners are wives who bring home at least 25 percent of the couple’s earnings, but less than half. The data only include families 

with a mother who is between the ages of 18 and 60 and who has children under age 18 living with her.

Source: Heather Boushey and Jeff Chapman's analysis of Miriam King and others, Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current 

Population Survey: Version 2.0 (Minneapolis: Minnesota Population Center, 2009).

How far we’ve come...

Notes: This chart first appeared in The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes 

Back from the Brink, a joint project of A Woman’s Nation and the Center for 

American Progress, published in January 2014, available at http://shriverreport.

org/a-womans-nation-pushes-back-from-the-brink-charts-and-graphs/.
24 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

1 in 3 adult women are living in poverty 

or on the brink of it. 

Percentage of 

labor force that 

is female

Percentage of high-income 

workforce reporting poor 

or fair health 

Percentage of low-income 

women experiencing high 

levels of stress

Percentage of low-income 

men experiencing high 

levels of stress

Percentage of low-income 

workforce reporting poor 

or fair health 

Percentage of 

minimum-wage jobs 

held by women

One-quarter of single mothers spend 

more than half of their incomes on 

housing compared to one-tenth of single 

fathers. 

Of all single mothers, nearly two-thirds 

are working in low-wage retail, service, 

or administrative jobs that offer little 

flexibility, benefits, or economic support 

to both provide for and allow needed 

family time with children. 

ON THE BRINK MINIMUMWAGE JOBS

...how far we need to go

VS.

POOR HEALTH

VS.

HIGH STRESS

VS.

47% 62%

15% 27%

22% 42%

...how far we need to go

Note: This chart first appeared in The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes 

Back from the Brink, a joint project of A Woman’s Nation and the Center for 

American Progress, published in January 2014, available at http://shriverreport.

org/a-womans-nation-pushes-back-from-the-brink-charts-and-graphs/.
25 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Wages of female dominated occupations with largest 10-year 

projected employment growth, by year of projection

0

20

40

60

80

100

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 

Share of largest growing 

female occupations

Low Middle High

Wages:

Note: This chart first appeared in The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation 

Pushes Back from the Brink, a joint project of A Woman’s Nation and the 

Center for American Progress, published in January 2014, available 

at http://shriverreport.org/a-womans-nation-pushes-back-from-thebrink-charts-and-graphs/.

Select projected occupations are combined into one occupation category in order to match CPS occupation classification codes. For combined occupations, the largest job projection is used in calculations. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Economic and Employment Projections, author uses the top 10 projected largest growing occupations 

for each year (1994 to 2010), ranked 1 to 10, available at http://www.bls.gov/schedule/archives/all_nr.htm#ECOPRO; Author’s analysis of the 

Center for Economic and Policy Research Extracts of the Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group Files, includes all workers aged 

18 to 64; Bureau of Labor Statistic’s Current Population Survey Tables, “Table 1: Employment status of the civilian noninstitutional population, 

1942 to date,” available at http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat01.pdf. 

The share of projected jobs are the number of jobs projected in a particular occupation as a share of the total labor force in the projection year.
26 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Note: This chart first appeared in The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes 

Back from the Brink, a joint project of A Woman’s Nation and the Center for 

American Progress, published in January 2014, available at http://shriverreport.

org/a-womans-nation-pushes-back-from-the-brink-charts-and-graphs/.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, various years.

 $20,000 

 $40,000 

 $60,000 

 $80,000 

 $100,000 

 $120,000 

 $20,000 

0 0 

 $40,000 

 $60,000 

 $80,000 

 $100,000 

 $120,000 

1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 

2011 

1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 

2011 

No high school diploma High school diploma Some college/associate Bachelor's degree Graduate degree 

Real wages for men are higher than those for women 

at every level of educational attainment 

Men: Wages by education level, in 2011 dollars Women: Wages by education level, in 2011 dollars
27 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Note: This chart first appeared in The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation 

Pushes Back from the Brink, a joint project of A Woman’s Nation and the 

Center for American Progress, published in January 2014, available 

at http://shriverreport.org/a-womans-nation-pushes-back-from-thebrink-charts-and-graphs/.

Source: American Community Survey, 2011

15% 15 to 19 years old

60% 20 to 29 years old

25% 30 to 50 years old

50% Below 100 percent

of poverty level

25% 100 to 199 percent

of poverty level

25% 200 percent or

more of poverty level

26% Less than 

high school graduate

32% High school graduate

(includes equivalency)

35% Some college or

associate’s degree

7% Bachelor’s degree

or higher

By age

By educational attainment

By income relative to poverty

Demographics of unmarried mothers
28 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Other resources

Listed below are additional resources on issues affecting working women and men and their 

families. These resources are provided for informational purposes only. Inclusion does not 

indicate endorsement by the White House or U.S. Department of Labor of these entities, their 

products or services, and the information contained at these sites does not necessarily reflect the 

official views of the U.S. government.

Resources from the White House

Fact Sheet: The Obama Administration’s Comprehensive Efforts to Promote Gender Equality 

and Empower Women and Girls Worldwide

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/04/19/

fact-sheet-obama-administration-s-comprehensive-efforts-promote-gender-e

Fact Sheet: the Equal Futures Partnership to Expand Women’s Political and Economic Participation

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/24/

fact-sheet-equal-futures-partnership-expand-women-s-political-and-econom

Fact Sheet: the Equal Futures Partnership and United States Commitments to Expand Women’s 

Political and Economic Participation

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/24/

fact-sheet-equal-futures-partnership-and-united-states-commitments-expan

Keeping America’s Women Moving Forward: The Key to an Economy Built to Last

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/email-files/womens_report_final_for_print.pdf

Council of Economic Advisers Report: Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility

http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/100331-cea-economics-workplace-flexibility.pdf

2013 Economic Report of the President

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/erp2013/full_2013_economic_report_

of_the_president.pdf
29 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Resources from the U.S. Department of Labor

The Economic Status of Women of Color: A Snapshot

http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/reports/WB_WomenColorFactSheet.pdf

A Guide to Women’s Equal Pay Rights

http://www.dol.gov/wb/equal-pay/equalpay-employee.pdf

Working Women Today – An Overview

http://www.dol.gov/wb/overview_14.htm

Increasing Employment Opportunities and Improving 

Working Conditions for Women Fact Sheet

http://www.dol.gov/equalpay/commitment/2014Accomplishments.pdf

Women’s Bureau Data and Statistics page

http://www.dol.gov/wb/stats/stats_data.htm

Equal Pay

http://www.dol.gov/equalpay/

Minimum Wage

http://www.dol.gov/minwage/

Workplace Flexibility Online Tool Kit

http://www.dol.gov/odep/workplaceflexibility/

National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibility

http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/natldialogue3.htm

FMLA is Working

http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/survey/

Information on the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm

Information for Nursing Mothers

http://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/
30 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) Fact Sheet on Pregnancy Discrimination

http://www.dol.gov/equalpay/commitment/ofccp-fact-sheet-pregnancy-discriminationmarch-2012.pdf

OFCCP Fact Sheet on Employment Discrimination

http://www.dol.gov/equalpay/commitment/ofccp-fs-workplace-rights-march-2012.pdf

Information on retirement planning

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/retirement/

Women Veterans’ Employment Initiative

http://www.dol.gov/vets/womenveterans/

Resources from the Center for American Progress 

The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink

http://shriverreport.org/

“A New Force for America’s Families: Women of Color Strongly Support Workplace Changes 

and Policies to Address Economic Hardship” by John Halpin

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/

report/2014/01/12/81907/a-new-force-for-americas-families-2/ 

“Our Working Nation in 2013: An Updated National Agenda for Work and Family Policies” 

by Heather Boushey, Ann O’Leary, and Sarah Jane Glynn

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2013/02/05/51720/

our-working-nation-in-2013/

“Real Family Values: Flexible Work Arrangements and Work-Life Fit” by Sarah Jane Glynn 

and Emily Baxter

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/religion/report/2013/12/19/81336/

flexible-work-arrangements-and-work-life-fit/

“Family Matters: Caregiving in America” by Sarah Jane Glynn and Jane Farrell

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/labor/report/2014/02/05/83427/family-matters/

“The Importance of Preschool and Child Care for Working Mothers” by Sarah Jane Glynn, 

Jane Farrell, and Nancy Wu

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2013/05/08/62519/

the-importance-of-preschool-and-child-care-for-working-mothers/
31 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

“Women’s Leadership: What’s True, What’s False, and Why It Matters” by Judith Warner

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2014/03/07/85467/

womens-leadership/

Other resources 

National Women’s Law Center Reports and Toolkits

http://www.nwlc.org/our-resources/reports_toolkits

National Women’s Law Center Fact Sheets

http://www.nwlc.org/our-resources/fact-sheets 

How Equal Pay for Working Women would Reduce Poverty and Grow the American Economy by 

Heidi Hartmann, Ph.D., Jeff Hayes, Ph.D., and Jennifer Clark

http://www.iwpr.org/publications/pubs/

how-equal-pay-for-working-women-would-reduce-poverty-and-grow-the-american-economy 

National Partnership for Women and Families: Equal Pay Resources

http://www.nationalpartnership.org/issues/fairness/fair-pay.html

National Partnership for Women and Families: Work and Family Resources

http://www.nationalpartnership.org/issues/work-family/

Employers Making Work Work for Employees: for Effective and Flexible Workplaces Announced

http://www.whenworkworks.org/about-us/news-press/

employers-making-work-work-for-employees

Families and Work Institute: Workplace Flexibility Reports

http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/main.html

Center for Economic and Policy Research 

 http://www.cepr.net/index.php/publications/reports/

job-protection-isnt-enough-why-america-needs-paid-parental-leave 

Small Business Majority 

 http://www.smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/downloads/092713-FamilyMedical-Leave-poll-report.pdf 

“The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap” by American Association of University Women 

http://www.aauw.org/files/2013/03/The-Simple-Truth-Fall-2013.pdf
32 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

Endnotes

1 Council on Women and Girls, Keeping America’s Women 

Moving Forward: The Key to an Economy Build to Last

(The White House, 2012), available at http://www.

whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/email-files/womens_report_final_for_print.pdf.

2 Katherine Gallagher Robbins and Lauren Frohlich, 

“National Snapshot: Poverty Among Women & Families, 

2012” (Washington: National Women’s Law Center, 

2013), available at http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/

files/pdfs/povertysnapshot2012.pdf.

3 Calculations based on Heather Boushey and Jeff Chapman’s analysis of Miriam King and others, “Integrated 

Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: 

Version 2.0” (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minnesota Population Center, 2009). 

4 Calculation is based on data from the U.S. Bureau of the 

Census, American Community Survey, 2012 (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2013).

5 Calculations based on Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

Widespread Economic Growth in 2012 (U.S. Department 

of Commerce, 2013), available at http://bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2013/pdf/gsp0613.pdf.

6 Calculations based on U.S. Bureau of the Census, “Current Population Survey: Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement, 2013,” available at http://www.census.

gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/ (last accessed March 

2014).

7 National Science Board, “Science and Engineering 

Labor Force” (2013), available at http://www.nsf.gov/

statistics/seind14/content/chapter-3/c03.pdf.

8 Economics and Statistics Administration, Women in 

STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation (U.S. Department of 

Commerce, 2011), available at: http://www.esa.doc.

gov/sites/default/files/reports/documents/womeninstemagaptoinnovation8311.pdf.

9 Calculations based on Heather Boushey and Jeff Chapman’s analysis of Miriam King and others, “Integrated 

Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: 

Version 2.0” (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minnesota Population Center, 2009). 

10 Calculations based on data from the U.S. Bureau of the 

Census, American Community Survey, 2006 (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2007).

11 Calculations based on data from the U.S. Bureau of the 

Census, Current Population Survey, Annual Social and 

Economic Supplement, 2008 (U.S. Department of Commerce, March 2009)

12 The Council of Economic Advisers, The War on Poverty 

50 Years Later: A Progress Report (Executive Office of the 

President, 2014), available at http://www.whitehouse.

gov/sites/default/files/docs/50th_anniversary_cea_report_-_final_post_embargo.pdf. 

13 Calculations based on Heather Boushey and Jeff Chapman’s analysis of Miriam King and others, “Integrated 

Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: 

Version 2.0” (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minnesota Population Center, 2009).

14 Calculation is based on data from the U.S. Bureau of the 

Census, American Community Survey, 2012.

15 Ibid.; Heidi Hartmann, Jeff Hayes, and Jennifer Clark, 

“How Equal Pay for Working Women would Reduce 

Poverty and Grow the American Economy” (Washington: Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 2014), 

available at http://www.iwpr.org/publications/recentpublications.

16 Heidi Harmann and Jeffrey Hayes, “Equal Pay for Working Women and Their Families: National Data on Pay 

Gap and its Costs” (Washington: Institute for Women’s 

Policy Research, forthcoming).

17 Calculations based on Bureau of Economic Analysis, 

Widespread Economic Growth in 2012 (U.S. Department 

of Commerce, 2013), available at http://bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/gdp_state/2013/pdf/gsp0613.pdf.

18 Calculations based on Center for American Progress 

tabulation of data from U.S. Bureau of the Census, “Current Population Survey: Annual Social and Economic 

Supplement, 2013,” available at http://www.census.

gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/ (last accessed March 

2014).

19 National Science Board, “Science and Engineering 

Labor Force” (2013), available at http://www.nsf.gov/

statistics/seind14/content/chapter-3/c03.pdf.

20 Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Characteristics of Minimum 

Wage Workers: 2012,” available at http://www.bls.gov/

cps/minwage2012tbls.htm (last accessed March 2014).

21 David Cooper, “Raising the Federal Minimum Wage 

to $10.10 Would Lift Wages for Millions and Provide a 

Modest Economic Boost” (Washington: Economic Policy 

Institute, 2013), available at http://s2.epi.org/files/2013/

minimum-wage-state-tables.pdf.

22 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the 

United States - March 2012 (U.S. Department of Labor, 

2012), table 5. 

23 International Labour Organization, “Maternity at 

Work: A review of national legislation” (2012), available at http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@

dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publication/

wcms_124442.pdf.

24 Rose Gordon Sala, “Paid paternity leave benefits dads 

and moms - and we can afford it,” Lean Forward, June 

15, 2012, available at http://leanforward.groups.msnbc.

com/_news/2012/06/15/12237482-paid-paternityleave-benefits-dads-and-moms-and-we-can-affordit?lite.

25 Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2012

(U.S. Department of Labor, 2012), available at http://

www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2012/ebbl0050.pdf.

26 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 7: Employment status 

of women by presence and age of youngest child, March 

1975–2010 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2011), available 

at http://www.bls.gov/cps/wlf-table7-2011.pdf.

27 Ibid.

28 Centre for Educational Research and Innovation, 

“Education at a Glance: Indicator C2: How do early 

childhood education systems differ around the world?” 

(2012), available at http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2012_eag-2012-en.
33 White House Summit on Working Families | #WorkingFamilies National Toolkit | workingfamiliessummit.org

29 Lawrence J. Schweinhart, “Significant Benefits: The 

High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 27” 

(Ypsilanti, Michigan: High/Scope Educational Research 

Foundation, 1993).

30 Calculations based on Fortune, “Fortune 500: Our 

annual ranking of America’s largest corporations,” 

available at money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2012/full_list/ (last accessed March 2014). 

31 Ibid.; Grant Thornton, “Women in senior management: 

Still not enough” (2012), available at http://www.

grantthornton.co.nz/Assets/documents/pubSeminars/

IBR-2012-women-in-senior-management.pdf.

32 Center for American Women and Politics, “Women in 

Elective Office 2014” (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University, 2014), available at http://www.cawp.

rutgers.edu/fast_facts/levels_of_office/documents/

elective.pdf.

33 Ibid. 

34 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 7. Employment status 

of women by presence and age of youngest child, March 

1975–2010. 

35 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Establishment Survey

(U.S. Department of Labor, 2014), available at http://

www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.b.htm. 

36 Calculations based on Heather Boushey and Jeff Chapman’s analysis of Miriam King and others, “Integrated 

Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: 

Version 2.0” (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minnesota Population Center, 2009).

37 The Council of Economic Advisers, Work-Life Balance 

and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility (Executive 

Office of the President, 2010), available at http://www.

whitehouse.gov/files/documents/100331-cea-economics-workplace-flexibility.pdf.
“It is time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a “Mad Men” episode. 

This year let’s all come together, Congress, the White House, businesses from Wall 

Street to Main Street, to give every woman the opportunity she deserves, because 

I believe when women succeed, America succeeds.”— President Barack Obama

WHITE HOUSE SUMMIT ON WORKING FAMILIES | #WORKINGFAMILIES NATIONAL TOOLKIT | WORKINGFAMILIESSUMMIT.ORG