CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- As Mother's Day draws near, a
new survey conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research offers a clearer picture of what women in Wyoming and across the nation really want.

C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute, pointed out women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-fueled economic downturn, and researchers polled more than 1,400 women on their economic concerns and policy priorities for the new administration and Congress.

"This year, moms want a little bit more than breakfast in bed," Mason stated. "They want paid sick leave, they want equal pay for equal work, they want child care. They want all the things they haven't had for so long."

The Biden administration's American Families Plan, part of a larger economic recovery package, includes federal child-care assistance, paid family leave and other family-work supports as essential infrastructure.

Critics in Congress said the price tag for Biden's proposals is too high, and argued infrastructure spending should only include investments in fixing the nation's roads, bridges and other works traditionally paid for by taxpayers.

The Institute's analysis suggested full economic recovery hinges upon women being able to re-enter the workforce and be able to remain on the job in order to provide for their families.

Mason noted a majority of women are breadwinners in their families, and the public health crisis made it very clear what can happen when essential family-work supports are missing.

"We found out the hard way during the pandemic that women cannot do their jobs if they do not have adequate, high-quality child care and paid sick leave," Mason recounted. "It's just not going to happen."

Since the beginning of COVID-19, more than 6.5 million women either lost jobs or were forced to leave the workforce to care for family members, including children when schools closed.

Black and Latina women have been disproportionately affected, with unemployment rates exceeding 20%. Oxfam America estimated women lost $800 billion in earnings over the past year.

LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Women left the workforce during the pandemic at higher rates than men, and a new report suggests full economic recovery won't be possible if employers do not find ways to bring them back.

Rebekah Smith, director of the Wyoming Women's Foundation, which produced the report, said women workers boost local economies because they invest 90% of what they earn on local goods and services.

The report projected Wyoming would lose at least $45 million in Gross Domestic Product if every Wyoming woman stayed home from work for just one day.

"And so when you look at those two factors together, you see that women not only are contributing a huge amount to the GDP in Wyoming, they are also investing the majority of the money that they earn back into their communities," Smith explained.

Smith contended closing the gender wage gap would help. In 2019, the median average wage for men in Wyoming was $50,000. Women took home just over $37,000. While some argued a majority of women take jobs that tend to pay less, for example, 90% of Wyoming workers in health-care support jobs are women, Smith countered the report suggests ways to make it feasible for women to access higher-paying jobs and leadership positions.

Paid sick and family leave programs can also help more women return to the workforce, because women are more likely to stay home with sick children or other family members.

Smith pointed out access to high-quality and affordable child care, and more flexibility in work hours, would also allow women to work and maintain family commitments.

"With the recent pandemic, that's been something that employers have been more open to, and seen that works can go on in a flexible way," Smith observed. "That's one thing that can be done to encourage women to take on higher positions."

Smith added the report offers opportunities for policymakers to maximize the ability for women to earn self-sufficient wages, enough to meet their basic needs without public or private assistance.

According to the Wyoming Women's Foundation's most recent self-sufficiency standard for Wyoming, a single adult with one preschooler would need to make at least $16.22 per hour in Uinta County, and $29.70 per hour in Teton County.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Before the pandemic, more women were in the workforce than ever before, and new research ranks New York state fifth in the country for women's economic standing.

The report, from the Institute for Women's Policy Research, reveals both progress and barriers that were present before the recession.

Elyse Shaw, study director for the Institute and co-author of the report, noted New York's ranking for 2019 is the same as 2018. She acknowledged the state has been more proactive with policies, like family medical leave, that further women's equity in the labor force. But she contended there are more areas that require work.

"In New York City, the minimum wage is $15 an hour, but outside of that area, it's $12.50," Shaw observed. "Really working to get that up and equalized across the state is something that will really help women and ensure that there's equity, no matter where you live."

Shaw noted wage rules are especially important for women of color, who are disproportionately concentrated in lower-wage jobs. The 2019 data ranked New York in the top 10 among states for median income, gender wage gap, and women in managerial and professional positions, but the state dropped to 23rd for its number of women in the workforce, which Shaw attributes to high childcare costs.

Shaw predicted there will be fewer spots available at childcare centers, since many shut down during the pandemic. The study suggested creating a national childcare system to help women and their families recover from the recession.

"Looking at how can we make childcare more affordable would help working mothers be able to afford to have childcare for their children; and then, be able to work and advance in their careers while they have young children," Shaw asserted.

Other recommendations in the report include providing income support and short- and long-term investments in safety-net programs - such as unemployment insurance and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), to help more families as they pull out of the pandemic.

RALEIGH, NC -- Barriers to accessing a federal nutrition program for moms and babies persist in North Carolina, but new research shows loosening the rules during the pandemic improved participants' experience.

Nearly 300 recipients were surveyed across eight counties, and the report says many didn't know about or take advantage of policy changes that would have expanded their benefits.

Study author, Duke University Assistant Professor Dr. Carolyn Barnes, said the pandemic's economic fallout has increased demand for assistance by 30% to 40% -- a surge that has challenged the capacity of many resource-constrained agencies.

"I had workers say that their caseloads had gone up 20 to 30%," said Barnes, "and that they were working overtime to process cases."

The report, from Duke University's Center for Child and Family Policy, found allowing remote appointments and more flexibility in the types of food people can purchase, and extending certification periods, made it easier to use the 'WIC' program. In 2019, federal data show North Carolina reached around half of WIC-eligible residents.

The survey also found only 27% of WIC participants surveyed were aware of the greater flexibility in food choices that could have simplified their grocery shopping amid pandemic-related food shortages.

According to Barnes, most women learned about the changes through social media, family and friends, rather than from state agencies. She believes increasing public awareness about these programs can boost participation.

"Your fellow churchgoer or someone you work with, or someone you know personally, your family member that's just lost a job - if you know information about how to sign up for these programs, you can point them to those programs," she advised.

The report also found many households were unaware of the COVID-19 changes to SNAP benefits. Between 20% and 25% said they knew about emergency allotments and extended recertification deadlines. Only one-third of those surveyed were aware they could use their SNAP benefits to shop for food online.