Women have steadily increased their representation in STEM and among leadership ranks across the corporate world in the past few decades, giving the impression that gender equity has been achieved. But experts — and the data — say otherwise.

Utilizing data from the Worker Paid Leave Usage Simulation Model (Worker PLUS), we estimate the current need for leave in those states that do not have established paid family and medical leave programs; the extent to which the need for leave goes unmet in these states; and the economic losses that families incur as a result of unpaid or partially paid leaves. This report presents our overall findings in these states; we also provide state-level estimates in the Appendix.

This report explores the role of trust in whether and how inventors from historically underrepresented groups choose to engage in patenting, who they decide to collaborate with, and how their experiences with the process itself as well as working with others to navigate it can affect their level of trust and engagement.

In June 2023, we released a report in collaboration with The Century Foundation, which estimated that when American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stabilization funds expire at the end of September 2023, as many as 70,000 child care centers could close and 3.2 million children and their parents would lose access to their child care spots as a result. The estimates provided in our report were referenced in a question posed by the moderator during the second GOP Primary Debate held on September 27, 2023.

In this report, we explore trends in self-employment among parents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that for mothers of young children in particular, self-employment has increased at a notable rate over pre-pandemic levels. As entrepreneurs who are mothers face unique challenges, including intertwined financial considerations, caregiving responsibilities, and time demands, these findings highlight the need for policies, programs and practices aimed at better supporting entrepreneurs who are parenting.

This brief reviews research exploring the links between mental health and entrepreneurship. It begins by discussing the different ways that mental health issues can influence the decision to start a business and, in turn, how entrepreneurship can impact an individual’s mental health. Next it highlights different estimates of the prevalence of mental health disorders among the self-employed. It then provides examples of existing models and programs that have emerged in recent years to support the mental health of entrepreneurs and concludes with a discussion of the implications for policy, programs, and practice.

In this brief, we examine the concept of portable benefits systems and consider the ways these systems can support entrepreneurship. We review the small-scale federal, state, and local portable benefits policies and programs that currently exist, and we discuss research and thinking on these established programs, the possibilities for larger programs in the future, and the changes that will be necessary to support these broader programs.

The Kauffman Foundation continues to recognize, with urgency, the significance of the role new and existing businesses play in local, regional, and the national economy. This report continues our series of sharing the state of capital access for entrepreneurs highlighting the need for innovative products and models to improve capital delivery systems.

Join The Century Foundation on Thursday, June 22, 2023 from 1:30 to 2:30 PM ET, exactly 100 days from when federal funds sunset, to learn about TCF’s groundbreaking new study about the looming child care cliff and what we can do to avoid it.

For two years, the United States has been effectively running an experiment in federally funding child care providers. The $24 billion disbursed in pandemic relief has been the largest investment in child care in U.S. history. Child care providers have used the money to raise teachers’ pay, buy supplies and pay mortgages.

Beginning September 30, 2023, states will face a steep dropoff in federal child care investment. Without Congressional action, this cliff will have dire consequences.

CLASP’s analysis examines access to paid sick leave at the national and state level by income, gender, and hours worked. Our analysis finds that a significant portion of the population still lacks access to paid sick leave, with disparities in access across income and hours worked. Moreover, those disparities are significantly narrower in states and localities with paid sick leave laws.

Between 2014 and 2019, the number of women-owned businesses grew by 21%, far outpacing the rate of growth in the number of businesses overall (just 9%). This impressive growth was even more pronounced among businesses owned by women of color, with the number of women of color owned businesses growing at double the rate (43%), and, specifically, the number of African American/Black women-owned businesses increasing by 50%.

In our second of three episodes on the topic, hosts Ericka Burroughs-Girardi and Beth Silver are joined by Dr. Jessica Milli, an economist and the founder of the consulting firm Research 2 Impact. Dr. Milli talks about how the gender pay gap harms our health, entire communities and the economy.

As COVID upended domestic life, women's rate of self-employment rose faster than the share of men in the sector.

This report highlights three key insights that may help inform more equitable design of future relief and recovery policy and programs for small and new businesses, particularly those owned by BIPOC and women entrepreneurs, as well as entrepreneurs in historically under-resourced communities.

We evaluate the causes of the wage gap at the intersection of race, ethnicity and gender over time in the United States. We analyse the wage gaps for women of colour along three dimensions: relative to White women, relative to men of their respective race/ethnicity, and relative to White men.

At the start of the pandemic, self-employment rose for both women and men, who have a higher overall self-employment rate, according to an analysis of government data by Jessica Milli, an economist in Washington. But for men, self-employment has since returned to pre-pandemic levels, Milli found. Among women, it remained nine percent higher in February 2022 than two years prior.

Child care is an essential service that parents rely on so they can work, attend school, or participate in training while knowing their children are well cared for in a stable and nurturing environment. For too long, child care has been out of reach for many families due to the lack of available care and the high price.

On April 9, 2022, legislators in Maryland overrode Governor Larry Hogan’s veto and enacted the Time to Care Act of 2022, making Maryland the tenth state (plus the District of Columbia) to offer paid family and medical leave to workers.