The Institute for Women’s Policy Research conducts and communicates research to inspire public dialogue, shape policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of women of diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and experiences. IWPR works with policymakers, scholars, and public interest groups to design, execute, and disseminate research that illuminates economic and social policy issues affecting women and families and to build a network of individuals and organizations that conduct and use women-oriented policy research.

It is the leading think tank in the United States focusing on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of public policy through a gendered lens. Founded in 1987, IWPR’s reports and other informational resources have informed policies and programs across the country and internationally, in each of its key program areas:

• Employment, Education, & Economic Change - Employment and Job Quality, Economic Status of Women in the States, Pay Equity and Discrimination, Access to Higher Education and Job Training, Unemployment and the Economy
• Democracy & Society - The Status of Women and Girls, Immigration and Religion, Women in Unions, Women's Civic and Political Engagement
• Poverty, Welfare, & Income Security - Retirement and Social Security, Poverty, Katrina and the Gulf Coast, Welfare Reform
• Work & Family - Early Care and Education, Family Leave and Paid Sick Days, Workplace Flexibility
• Health & Safety - Women's access to health insurance, costs and benefits of preventive health services for women, costs of domestic violence