Methodology - IWPR State PAL

IWPR seeks to equip partners and policymakers with the resources and technical expertise they need to ensure that research and evidence informs policy solutions to advance women’s economic equity and well-being.

The Status of Women data dashboard on State PAL uses data from US government and other sources to analyze women’s status in each state, the District of Columbia and the United States overall, using a set of indicators that relate to IWPR’s four pillars of policy research: Caregiving and Families, Education and Career Advancement, Equitable Work and Wages and Reproductive Justice and Health Equity. Definitions and source information for each indicator can be found in our methodology table, which is available for download.

IWPR selected indicators by using several principles: relevance, representativeness, reliability, efficiency, and comparability of data across all the states and the District of Columbia. Notably, however, reliable state-level data disaggregated by gender and race/ethnicity on issues affecting women’s well-being are often not readily available, particularly for marginalized groups. Because of data gaps across important dimensions of women’s lives, such as sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, incarceration, and immigration status, the indicators do not represent the lived experiences of all people who identify as women in the United States.

The policies featured on State PAL represent state policy trends related to IWPR’s priority issue areas. IWPR aims to be a partner alongside national and state organizations leading on gender justice, and tracked policies were selected with consideration for the outstanding work already being done. Policies on important gender justice issues may not be tracked on State PAL if other organizations are already offering that critical resource.

Policies tagged “Protective” are considered potential policy solutions for improving the status of women within that issue. Policies tagged “Restrictive” present threats against women in that issue area.

The featured policies are not intended to be exhaustive, and IWPR may add to or change the policies featured on State PAL in the future. The offered policy solutions alone cannot solve gender inequity, but rather represent several policy levers to improve the economic security, health, and well-being of women and their families.

Data Sources

The primary data sources consulted for the Status of Women data dashboard are:

American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates for 2023 as provided by the Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Natality 2017-2023 on CDC WONDER Online Database.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. National Vital Statistics System, Linked Birth / Infant Deaths 2016-2022 on CDC WONDER Online Database.
Family Planning Annual Report: 2023 National Summary. Office of Population Affairs, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Price of Care: 2023. Child Care Aware of America, 2023.
Trends in Abortion Services in the United States, 2017-2023. Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisco

Full references for all data sources are included in our downloadable data tables, which are available on each issue page.

Gender Terminology and Inclusivity

The State PAL website uses “women” to refer to those who self-identify as female. IWPR acknowledges that not all individuals who can become pregnant identify as women, including transgender and gender-nonconforming people. The term reflects a lack of data on gender identity and transgender status in the datasets and sources consulted for this analysis (CPS, ACS, CDC, etc.).

Statement on Racial Equity and Intersectionality

At IWPR, we believe that social and economic mobility in the United States is determined and influenced by race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other markers of difference. In working to achieve economic equity and better understand the experiences of all women in the workforce and society, we use both racial equity and intersectional frameworks in our research and analysis to help generate strategies and solutions that are grounded in the economic realities of women and families.

Primary Race/Ethnicity Categorization

Across all issues except Reproductive Justice and Health Equity (see CDC Race/Ethnicity Categorization below), State PAL implements the following race/ethnicity categorization which draws from US Census microdata:

American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI), Black, Hispanic, Other/multiracial, White.

Please see the technical notes for race on the IPUMS USA (formerly the “Integrated Public Use Microdata Series”) website for more information.

CDC Race/Ethnicity Categorization

IWPR follows a distinct race/ethnicity categorization when working with vital statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because race and Hispanic origin are reported separately on birth certificates. Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; all other racial/ethnic groups are non-Hispanic. Race categories are consistent with 1977 Office of Management and Budget standards. Please see the technical notes for birth and linked birth/infant death records in the CDC WONDER Online database for more information.

CDC race categories:

American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), Asian, Black or African American, More than one race, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI), White.

Current Policy Landscape

The current policy landscape is assessed based on IWPR’s institutional policy framework and criteria. This framework defines the key components of a policy that make it an effective tool for promoting gender equity. This means that some states may have taken action on a particular policy, but if the law does not meet the criteria outlined in IWPR’s policy framework, it is not counted as a state that has effectuated that policy solution.

For example, IWPR’s research demonstrates that effective paid family and medical leave policies guarantee most workers 12 weeks of paid leave; therefore, states that have enacted voluntary paid leave programs, or paid leave programs that offer less than 12 weeks of paid leave, are not counted in the current policy landscape.

IWPR relies on trusted external resources to support the current policy landscape feature of State PAL, and this information will be updated as timely as possible in the shifting landscape, as reliable information becomes available.

The current policy landscape analysis is intended to reflect whether a state has enacted a law, either legislatively or through executive action. This is not a legal analysis and does not assess whether the law is temporarily enjoined or currently being enforced in the state. IWPR’s State PAL does not constitute legal advice.

IWPR Recommendations

IWPR’s policy recommendations are informed by our mission, values, and leading research.

Policies tagged “Protective” are recommendations for state policy solutions to issues contributing to gender inequity. IWPR recommendations also outline some key provisions to strengthen these policy solutions. Without these key provisions, policy solutions may not be as effective in improving outcomes for women.

IWPR does not recommend policies that are tagged “Restrictive.” Policies in this category harm women. Inclusion of these policies in State PAL is to inform partners and policymakers of the detrimental impacts of antiquated and hostile laws, and to serve as an evidence-informed resource for advocacy against policies that threaten the well-being of women and attack gender equity efforts.

State PAL Legislative Tracking

IWPR is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. As a key feature of State PAL, IWPR is tracking state policy developments in real-time across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The legislative tracking feature will be updated as timely as possible and dated accordingly. Legislative tracking is conducted in states with active legislative sessions. State sessions vary in term and duration, and real-time policy tracking may not be available for a state when the legislature is not in session.

The status of bills tracked on State PAL will be updated as they are introduced, passed by at least one chamber, signed into law by the governor, or failed. Other intermediary statuses will not be tracked at this time. Relatedly, disparate transparency measures across state legislatures impact IWPR’s ability to track legislation throughout the session. The legislative tracking feature is not an exhaustive resource. There may be state bills pertaining to the policy IWPR is monitoring that are not tracked. At this time, state policy tracking does not include executive action. The inclusion of any legislation in any of the subsections of State PAL does not constitute or imply an endorsement or opposition of any legislation or any candidate.

Both “Protective” and Restrictive” policies are tracked as a resource to state lawmakers and the policy advocacy community. Furthermore, policies that do not necessarily meet the criteria set forth in IWPR’s policy framework but exceed the current policies in place in that state may be tracked. For example, IWPR recommends a state minimum wage of $17. In states where the minimum wage is below or at the federal minimum wage ($7.25), bills that raise the minimum wage over $15 are tracked, even though key provisions may not rise to the evidence-informed standard that IWPR recommends.

In states where IWPR’s recommendation is already law, policies that take unique and innovative approaches to go above and beyond that standard may be tracked. IWPR does not guarantee the efficacy of policies that exceed our recommendations or represent distinct approaches to the solution on which IWPR has not yet conducted or published research.

In states where there is neither an enacted law nor bills introduced on the topic that IWPR is tracking, this state may not appear on related issue pages.