U.S. Department of Labor

Women’s Bureau

November 2020
2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW ........................................................ 1

TAB 2: STATE OF PLAY ...................................................................................................... 5

TAB 3: CALENDAR ............................................................................................................ 12

TAB 4: BUDGET.................................................................................................................. 14

TAB 5: AGENCY PERFORMANCE................................................................................... 17
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

1

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Mission

Women in the workforce are vital to the nation's economic security. The Women's Bureau 

develops policies and standards and conducts inquiries to safeguard the interests of working 

women; to advocate for their equality and economic security for themselves and their families; 

and to promote quality work environments. For additional information, please visit DOL.gov.

1

Authorizing Legislation

Please visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/about.

Organizational Structure

The Director is appointed by the President and is supported by an SES career Deputy Director, a 

non-career Deputy Director, a Senior Advisor, and a Chief of Staff. WB is comprised of a 

national office headquartered in Washington, D.C., and regional offices. The national office 

consists of the Office of Policy and Programs, the Office of Information and Support Services, 

and the Office of the Director. 

 1 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/about.
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

2

Current Organizational Chart

WB Director

Laurie Todd-Smith

(PA)

Administrative Specialist

Andrea Jones

(Career SES)

Special Assistant

Hannah Fritz

(Non-Career GS)

Chief of Staff

Vacant

(Non-Career GS) 

Deputy Director

Joan Harrigan-Farrelly

(Career SES)

Senior Advisor

Erica Numberg

(Non-Career GS)

Deputy Director

Vacant

(Non-Career SES)

Director, Office of Policy & 

Programs

Tiffany Boiseman

(Career GS)

Region I Vacant (Career GS)

Region II Vacant (Career GS)

Region III Vacant (Career GS)

Region I V Charmaine Davis (Career GS)

Region V Vacant (Career GS)

Region VI Vacant (Career GS)

Region VII Vacant (Career GS)

Region VIII Vacant (Career GS)

Region IX Kelly Jenkins-Pultz (Career GS)

Region X Betty Lock (Career GS)

Chief, Office of Information 

& Support Services

Paris Mack

(Career GS)
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

3

Workforce At-A-Glance 

Organizational Changes During the Past Four Years

There have been no major organizational changes during the last four years. 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

4

Key Leaders

Non-Career

• Laurie Todd-Smith, Director (Political Appointee) 

• Vacant, Deputy Director (SES)

• Vacant, Chief of Staff

• Erica Nurnberg, Senior Advisor

• Hannah Fritz, Special Assistant 

Career

• Joan Harrigan-Farrelly, Deputy Director (SES) 

• Paris Mack, Chief, Information and Support Services 

• Tiffany Boiman, Director, Office of Policy and Programs

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, Boston 

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, New York 

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, Philadelphia 

• Charmaine Davis, Regional Administrator, Atlanta

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, Chicago 

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, Dallas 

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, Kansas City 

• Vacant, Regional Administrator, Denver 

• Kelly Jenkins-Pultz, Regional Administrator, San Francisco 

• Betty Lock, Regional Administrator, Seattle
TAB 2: State of Play

5

TAB 2: STATE OF PLAY 

Key Meetings, Decisions, and Announcements

By end of January 2021 Decision: Depending on funding at current levels, the Women’s 

Bureau will consider moving through the Departmental review 

process a new $2 million grant proposal focused on relief, support,

and expanded capacity for child care centers which have been 

severely impacted by the COVID19 pandemic.

By February 1, 2021 Decision: Determine next steps on paid leave as an outgrowth of 

comments from paid leave Request for Information (RFI).

By the end of March 2021 Decision: Based on full funding, develop grant proposal for the 

Women in Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Occupations grant.

Policy and Regulatory Issues 

Childcare

• Since FY 2018, WB has been working with a contractor to collect data and assemble a 

database on child care prices for all counties in the United States. WB will finalize the 

creation of a public interactive website hosting the data, which will allow government 

agencies, researchers, and policymakers to access median child care prices for most 

counties in the United States. The WB will design research comparing this data to labor 

force participation and income to measure potential economic impacts of child care costs 

more accurately. The data also will help identify strategies for enhancing employment 

options and economic security for women and families.

Childcare grant dealing with COVID

• Depending on funding, WB has been exploring and may offer a new $2 million grant 

proposal focused on relief, support, and expanded capacity for child-care centers and 

move a grant proposal through the Departmental review process.

WANTO grant

• WB will hold an orientation for the FY 2020 grant recipients and highlight success stories 

from the grantees in publications and public engagement events.
TAB 2: State of Play

6

Paid Leave

• On July 16, 2020, WB published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking comments 

from the public, particularly employers, employees, and researchers, on their experiences

regarding paid leave to inform the development of recommendations and/or future policy. 

The Bureau proposes that the information collected through this effort be used to help 

inform any policy decisions on paid parental leave and how it can be expanded further. 

WB 100

• In January 2020 the Bureau announced plans to celebrate the agency’s centennial with 

the theme, “Our Purpose. Your Work.” The program honors 100 years of the Women’s 

Bureau’s contributions to working women and features a unique interactive website: 

www.dol.gov/wb100. The website allows the Bureau to collect testimonials on how the 

agency’s purpose and efforts have positively affected the lives and work of women and 

their families. These stories have been highlighted on the Women’s Bureau webpage and 

on social media with the hashtag #WB100. Share your story2 and learn more about the 

campaign, “Our Purpose. Your Work.”3 The Bureau enhanced its social media outreach 

on Twitter with the @WB_DOL handle. Due to COVID-19, all in-person events 

scheduled to commemorate the anniversary were postponed. A webinar was held in 

August for Women’s Equality Day. Events may be rescheduled when DOL agencies 

resume on-premises work. The Twitter account may sunset on June 4, 2021, depending 

upon impact as measured by increased followers.

Regulatory Actions in First Three Months 

Though the WB does not engage in formal rulemaking, there are two areas where a new 

administration may want to focus it’s energy. Proposed Activities: The Women’s Bureau 

proposes two activities to address the cost and access of child care. Employer-sponsored child 

care is rare: only 11 percent4 of all workers receive some sort of child-care benefit, increasing 

from about 4 percent in 1996.5 The Women’s Bureau work with the White House, OCIA, and 

WHD to raise awareness about employer-provided child-care benefits from the regular rate of 

pay, and will work with stakeholders to explain how this change could increase employers’ 

ability to provide these benefits.. 

In addition, the Women’s Bureau will request a study with the Department’s Chief Evaluation’s 

Office (CEO) on how increasing the child-care tax exemption will affect women’s workforce 

participation, well-being, and take-home salary. The study will evaluate whether these rules 

permit employers to provide a tax-free benefit large enough to actually cover the costs of quality 

child care, and whether women workers who are not receiving a child-care benefit have a large 

enough exemption to cover out-of-pocket costs of child care. This investigation should include 

how management-level women would be impacted by removing means testing from the 

exemption calculation.

 2 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/wb100/story. 3 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/wb100/about. 4 https://www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/benefits/2019/ownership/civilian/table39a.pdf. 5 https://www.bls.gov/opub/btn/archive/employer-sponsored-childcare-benefits.
TAB 2: State of Play

7

Accomplishments over the past four years

Hall of Honor

In September of 2020, the Women’s Bureau worked with the Office of the Secretary to induct 

“Rosie the Riveters” into the Department of Labor Hall of Honor. The honor recognized the 

millions of women who worked on the homefront during World War II, entering factories and 

workplaces all over the nation to build airplanes, ships, and fill the many jobs left open by 

workers serving in the military. The event featured interviews with several real-life “Rosies” 

who shared their stories and encouraged today’s working women to remember that “they can do 

it”!

Child Care

• Since FY 2018, Women’s Bureau has worked with a contractor to collect data and 

assemble a database on child-care prices for all counties in the United States. The data 

collection for this project was completed September 2020. The National Database of 

Childcare Costs (NDCC) will be a public-use dataset containing the median and 75th 

percentile price of care for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children in 

center-based and family/home-based facilities. In addition, the database will include 

county-level demographic and economic data from the decennial census and the 

American Community Survey to assess how child care prices are associated with countylevel employment and earnings, among other characteristics.

• The WB engaged in stakeholder engagement sessions focused on child care in 10 cities 

throughout the country focused. The Director led a panel discussion at the White House 

on child care and paid leave. The event was hosted by Senior Advisor to the President 

Ivanka Trump and included Congressional leaders focused on innovative actions to help 

families access affordable, quality child care. The Bureau also held a national child-care 

listening session at DOL headquarters with Senior Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump 

and the Secretary of Labor.

• In July of 2020, WB Director toured Bright Beginnings Childcare & Preschool to learn 

more about new measures to ensure the safety of staff and children and led a roundtable 

discussion on the important role child-care centers play as part of the nation’s economic 

reopening. In the summer of 2020, the Bureau’s Director participated in several national 

discussions regarding the challenges of re-opening child-care programs in the wake of 

Covid19. A webinar in collaboration with the American Enterprise Institute was held 

that focused on family child care providers.

• On February 28, 2020, Women's Bureau Director Dr. Laurie Todd-Smith led a panel 

discussion on child care and closing the skills gap at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce 

Foundation's Early Education Summit.

• The Bureau collaborated with HHS in FY 19 to host listening sessions around the country 

child care issues.
TAB 2: State of Play

8

Paid Leave

• The WB issued an RFI on Paid Leave and received more thanrecieved over 200 

responses. A report of the findings will be shared with stakeholders.

• In FY 2019, the Bureau held eight listening sessions around the country on paid parental 

leave. 

Research/Data and Statistics

• The Bureau compiled case studies profiling four training programs with a successful 

track record of training and placing women in apprenticeship. The Advancing 

Opportunities for Women through Apprenticeship resource guide identifies common 

strategies across the four programs to help others learn how to create programs that 

successfully open pathways to in-demand jobs for women through apprenticeships. 

• In July 2019, WB launched a newly-redesigned website with a new homepage. The

website was updated in April 2020 Oto include new topics such as occupations and 

earnings, mothers and families, women veterans, and military spouses; a new interactive 

visualization showing the number of women and men full-time workers and their annual 

earnings in more than 300 occupations; a new monthly unemployment rates widget; and 

new state and county-level maps on women's employment.

• WB sponsored and helped develop a module on Leave and Job Flexibilities through the 

American Time Use Survey (ATUS), which is sponsored by BLS and conducted by the 

Census Bureau. Currently, WB staff are analyzing the data and creating a report for 

publication, pending Departmental clearance. 

• In August/September 2019, the Department hosted the Supporting Nursing Mothers in 

the Workplace Online Dialogue to help employers and nursing mothers understand their 

rights and responsibilities under the law. DOL solicited best practices to educate nursing 

mothers about key protections of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The online dialogue was 

hosted by the Department’s Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI) in partnership with 

the Wage and Hour Division, Women’s Bureau, and the Office of Disability Employment 

Policy (ODEP). 

• In 2020, the WB updated its web-based map identifying workplace lactation protections. 

Military Spouses

• On March 4, 2020, Women's Bureau Director Laurie Todd-Smith joined Second Lady 

Karen Pence in Tampa, Florida, for “A Collective Effort for Military Spouses,” a Hiring 

Our Heroes event. Director Todd-Smith provided data and statistics regarding military 

spouses as well as resources provided by the WB.

• On September 30, 2020,WB Advisor Erica Nurnberg joined Secretary Scalia, Assistant 

Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training Services (VETS) John Lowry, and Mrs.

Pence in Jacksonville, Florida for the release of the new Transition Employment 

Assistance for Military Spouses (TEAMS) curriculum. WB collaborated with VETS to 

develop assistance for military spouses. The event included a live pilot launch of the new 

training available for military spouses seeking employment. Bureau staff assisted in 
TAB 2: State of Play

9

identifying educational gaps between current education curricula and what military 

spouses indicated they needed. 

• Bureau staff assisted with the technical development of the VETS occupational licensing 

map that identifies the status of occupational licensing requirements for military spouses 

moving from one state to another, and staff continue to update the resource with new 

information. https://www.veterans.gov/milspouses/. 

• Bureau staff have collaborated with ETA and DoD agencies on the tracking of 

occupational licensing issues for military spouses. 

• Beginning in the summer of 2018, the Women’s Bureau collaborated with VETS to 

promote and facilitate their online/e-policy discussion about licensing challenges for 

military spouses and veterans. The Bureau then convened a series of candid listening 

sessions with military spouses to better understand their actual employment experiences 

and identify innovative hiring and retention practices to advance their careers. 

Entrepreneurship

• The Bureau helped fund a new interactive, digital platform for women entrepreneurs. This 

platform, developed by SBA with assistance from the White House and Treasury, offers 

practical, tactical advice to empower women to overcome challenges and grow their

businesses.

Apprenticeship

• The Bureau has spearheaded a number of initiatives to promote expanded employment 

and training opportunities for women in higher-paying occupations where they have 

traditionally been under-represented, including apprenticeships in the trades and other 

industries. As ETA established an Industry Recognized Apprenticeship (IRAP) Task 

Force, the Bureau shared information with stakeholders to encourage comments on how 

new models could provide greater opportunity for women in apprenticeship. In addition, 

early in FY 2020, on National Women in Apprenticeship Day, the Bureau sponsored a 

national summit. The summit brought together nearly 400 apprenticeship sponsors, 

employers, educational institutions, foundations, labor unions, policymakers, researchers, 

trade and industry groups, women and girls’ advocacy groups, and workforce agencies to 

explore the challenges and emerging opportunities in recruiting and retaining women in 

apprenticeship programs. They also outlined best practices to help them succeed in 

apprenticeship and non-traditional careers. On an annual basis, the Bureau works closely 

with internal and external organizations to provide data and information about 

apprenticeship and other emerging occupations at conferences and meetings that reach 

thousands of women and girls.

HBCUs

• In 2018, the Bureau convened a discussion group with leaders from Historically Black 

Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), to explore avenues to bring together academic 

researchers in related fields to address priority issues to expand the Bureau’s research 

capacity. 
TAB 2: State of Play

10

• In 2020, the Bureau, in collaboration with the Office of Personnel Management and 

DOL’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs hosted a webinar to inform 

HBCU leadership, students, and relevant personnel on the process for applying for the 

Presidential Management Fellows Scholarship. 

Grants

Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) Technical Assistance 

Grant

• For the last three consecutive years, the Women’s Bureau has overseen the WANTO 

grant program to fund community-based organizations that provide technical assistance 

to employers and labor unions to assist them in placing women in pre-apprenticeships, 

apprenticeships, and nontraditional occupations. The 2017 congressional appropriation 

transitioned oversight and administration of the WANTO program to the Bureau from 

ETA. Approximately $1.4 million was awarded to three or four grantees in FYs 2018 and 

2019.

• On July 2, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor and Women’s Bureau announced the 

availability of $4.1 million6 to support two-year grants for the 2020 Women in 

Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grant program. 2020 

Grantees were announced on September 28, 2020.7

Hurricane Harvey grant

• In September 2017, the Bureau awarded a $300,000 grant to the Texas Workforce 

Commission (TWC) to assist women and families impacted by Hurricane Harvey. These 

funds were specifically designated for efforts and initiatives in support of women’s 

employment and re-employment, to include basic needs provisions. 

Re-Employment Support and Training for the Opioid Related Epidemic (RESTORE)

• The Bureau launched a second major grant program in FY 2018 called RESTORE and 

awarded the State of Maryland $650,000 to help address the opioid crisis. In 2019, the 

Bureau opened up a competitive round of RESTORE grants in the amount of $2,500,000 

to five grantees. Maryland is funding organizations working with women affected by the 

crisis to provide services to 80 women, and has created a pilot hospitality preapprenticeship program with the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women to train 35 

women. Due to the Covid19 virus, inperson training activities were significantly

curtailed. The RESTORE grants are intended to provide employment, training, career 

services, and supportive services to women who have been directly or indirectly affected 

by the opioid crisis.

Key Agency Stakeholders

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): The NAEYC is a 

professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all 

 6 https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20200702-0 7 https://www.dol.gov/agencies/wb/grants/wanto
TAB 2: State of Play

11

young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. 

The WB has partnered and collaborated with this organization on child care issues for a number 

of years.

American Enterprise Institute (AEI): The American Enterprise Institute is a public policy think 

tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and 

safer world. AEI has helped to champion the work of the WB on child care and the 100th

anniversary of the Women’s Bureau. 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Hiring our Heroes (HOH): The U.S. Chamber of 

Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes (HOH) initiative launched in March 2011 as a 

nationwide effort to connect veterans, service members, and military spouses with meaningful 

employment opportunities. The Women’s Bureau, in collaboration with DOL VETS, has 

worked with HOH and several of its affiliates. 

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Early Childhood Education: The Chamber of 

Commerce Foundation has issued several recent reports outlining the challenge its members are 

facing with child care concerns, and the risk this poses to safely reopening businesses in the 

wake of COVID-19. 

The Urban Institute: The Urban Institute is a nonprofit research organization. The Institute’s

experts gather and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to measure and explain persistent 

social and economic challenges as well as emerging trends.

Chicago Women In Trades (CWIT): Founded by tradeswomen in 1981, Chicago Women in 

Trades (CWIT) works for women’s economic equity by increasing participation in well-paid, 

skilled jobs traditionally held by men and by eliminating barriers that prohibit women from 

entering and succeeding in these fields.

Internal stakeholders and partners

• ETA’s Office of Apprenticeship

• The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy – Chief Evaluation Office

• The Office of Disability Employment Policy

• Veterans Employment and Training Services

Federal Partners

• Department of Health and Human Services
TAB 3: Calendar

12

TAB 3: CALENDAR

Event Date

The Women’s Bureau will assist in the classification of child care 

workers in the North American Industry Classification System 

(NAICS).

November 2020

The Women’s Bureau will draft report findings on exempting 

employer-subsidized child care from the regular rate.

November 2020

The Women’s Bureau researchers will design appropriate 

regressions/statistical models for two studies exploring hourly earnings 

for women and the impact of various factors, such as occupation, 

exemption status, and hours worked, and part-time hours and workplace 

flexibility, on the gender earnings ratio.

November 30, 2020

The Women’s Bureau will decide whether to commission a video 

contest on challenge.gov to commemorate its history.

December 31, 2020

The Women’s Bureau will test its first two online Job Corps 

Recruitment Trainings.

December 31, 2020

The Women’s Bureau will produce its first “matrix of success,” using 

FY 2019 preliminary completion data.

January 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will update the subsections of its Data and 

Statistics on military spouses.

May 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will have conducted 10 recorded videos with 

former WB Directors and submit the videos to the WB archive.

June 4, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will draft a FOA for the FY 2021 WANTO grant 

competition expanding reporting requirements for grantees to include 

metrics for the success matrix.

June 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will produce a WANTO webinar, where past 

recipients can discuss their experiences to educate employers on

retaining women in these occupations.

June 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will draft a FOA for the FY 2021 Child Care 

(CCARE) grant competition.

June 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will provide public access to the National 

Database of Childcare Costs (NDCC) and have a webinar discussing its 

roll out.

June 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will have conducted three online convenings to 

educate the public about WB and its 100th Anniversary.

June 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will update subsections of its Data and Statistics 

on mothers and families and breastfeeding and pregnancy rights.

July 30, 2021
TAB 3: Calendar

13

Event Date

The Women’s Bureau will update subsections of its Data and Statistics 

on mothers and families following compliance with E-Government Act 

of 2002.

July 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will have conducted eight online apprenticeship 

and Job Corps recruitment trainings.

September 20, 2021

Contingent on appropriations, the Women’s Bureau will award the 

FY2021 CCARE grants.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will award the FY 2021 WANTO grants. September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will make site visits to FY 2020 WANTO 

grantees and other apprenticeship/pre-apprenticeship programs to 

document promising models.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will have hosted two quarterly meetings to 

develop ideas on leveraging the NDCC.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will examine the median cost of child care as it 

relates to women’s labor force participation and median income in each 

county.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will update subsections of its Data and Statistics 

on women veterans.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will update its license portability map to include 

states with active online credential apps.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will have conducted four listening sessions about 

online credentialing platforms.

September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will conduct a joint educational event with DOD. September 30, 2021

The Women’s Bureau will host four listening sessions for those who 

commented on paid leave RFI.

October 31, 2021
TAB 4: Budget

14

TAB 4: BUDGET

BUDGET AUTHORITY AND FTE SUMMARY

(Dollars in millions)

FY 2017

Enacted

FY 2018

Enacted

FY 2019

Enacted

FY 2020

Enacted

FY 2021

Request

Budget 

Authority $11.3 $13.5 $13.8 $14.1 $3.5

FTE 45 40 43 38 18

At-A-Glance

• The Women’s Bureau (WB) performs research and develops policy to promote the 

welfare of working women by improving their working conditions, increasing their 

efficiency, and providing them with employment opportunities.

• WB is funded in the Departmental Management appropriation. 

Budget and FTE Trends

• In FY 2010, WB received an increase of $1.2 million, which was $1.0 million above the 

FY 2010 President’s Request. With the additional funding, WB increased its education, 

research, and advocacy, as well as its technical assistance to other federal agencies. 

• In FY 2012, the appropriation included additional language providing the WB authority 

to “award grants to serve and promote the interests of women in the workforce.” The 

agency has used this authority to develop the Paid Leave Analysis Grants program and, in 

FY 2016, a research grant program on portable retirement benefits planning. 

• The WB’s Paid Leave Analysis Grants programs began in FY 2014. From FY 2014 to 

FY 2016, WB invested $3.2 million in grants to 11 states and Washington, D.C. to 

conduct paid leave research. 

• In the FY 2017 appropriation, the WB was provided $0.9 million for the Women in 

Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grants program. In FY 2018,

an additional $1.0 million was appropriated.

• In FY 2017, $1.2 million was transferred from WB to the Office of the Solicitor to 

address a deficit in that office. The funding was available because the Paid Leave grants 

program was not continued in FY 2017. In subsequent appropriations report language, 

the Department was instructed not to reprogram funds from the WB. 

• The FY 2019 and FY 2020 President’s Requests for the WB significantly reduced the 

agency’s funding and scope of activity. In FY 2020, $3.5 million and 18 FTE were 

included in the request. This reduction was not reflected in the FY 2019 or FY 2020 

appropriations. The FY 2020 enacted amount for WB is $14.1 million and 38 FTE. Per

Departmental guidance, the WB will continue to explore cost effective practices as it 

relates to space leased within regional locations.

• Upcoming issues: As in previous years, the FY 2021 President’s Request would reduce 

WB’s fundingto $3.5 million and 18 FTE.
TAB 4: Budget

15
TAB 4: Budget

16
TAB 5: Agency Performance

17

TAB 5: AGENCY PERFORMANCE

Among other performance measures, WB tracks the number of policy and research deliverables

which are the result of qualitative and quantitative research and policy analysis conducted by the 

WB–alone or in collaboration with other agencies–on issues related to women in the labor force. 

This measure represents the Bureau’s role as a thought leader and consistent government source 

of emerging research, gender analyses, and resources for women in the labor force. After a 

decline in deliverables in the first half of the decade, the WB has consistently delivered relevant 

research and publications. WB exceeded its FY 2020 target of 15 deliverables and produced a 

total of 17 policy and research deliverables. Historical performance on this measure is captured 

in the chart below.

From FY 2017 to FY 2020, the Women’ Bureau funded grants to expand women’s access to 

apprenticeship and nontraditional careers (WANTO) and facilitate employment and reemployment for women impacted by the opioid crisis (RESTORE). The WB also championed 

paid-leave policies and child-care access and affordability for working families. This work 

included commissioning a comprehensive database of child-care costs for every county in the 

nation; hosting listening sessions on child care and participating in White House forums and 

roundtables on child care and paid leave; and seeking public comment on paid leave issues to 

inform public policy on a national paid-leave program. WB’s public engagement activities also 

included a national symposium on Women and Apprenticeship that attracted more than 400 

participants to showcase best practices in recruiting and retaining women into apprenticeship. 

Other listening sessions with military spouses and collaboration with other DOL agencies to 

address the employment challenges and burden of occupational licensing for military spouses 

resulted in the expansion of resources for military families. 

WB is committed to being responsive to the needs of working families. Over the past several 

years, the WB has continued to expand the content of its website. In addition to interactive data 

tools, we have added interactive features to enhance the ability of stakeholders tostakeholdersto 

engage with our content. The WB Hall of Honor event in September 2020 garnered thousands of 

views. Additionally, in January 2020 the WB launced the #WB100, a digital commemoration of 
TAB 5: Agency Performance

18

the agency’s 100th anniversary and the collection of personal stories about WB’s impact on the 

life, work, and families of working women. The WB has increased the total number of 

newsletters delivered to stakeholders in 2020. To drive social media interest and direct more 

traffic to our website, a new social media handle on Twitter – @WB_DOL -- was created. 

Planned in-person engagements and activities were halted due to COVID-19, but new 

programming included webinars and online speaking engagements. The WB has found that the 

newsletter is the primary source of engagement for its website traffic. The WB will continue 

seek ways to engage America’s families and working women.