Women and the Workforce, a Labor Day Reflection

It has been more than 100 years since our nation celebrated the first Labor Day. And since that time work has changed, but more importantly, so has the makeup of our workforce. Nearly fifty percent of American workers are women. In many households nationwide, women are sharing the role of breadwinner and in some cases they are the sole provider. Yet, with all the strides women have made in the labor force, one thing has remained unchanged—workplace inequalities.

On average a woman earns 83 cents for every dollar earned by a man—and for women of color and with disabilities, the gap is even greater. In addition to unequal pay, many women still remain concentrated in traditionally lower-paying jobs despite the fact that women hold the majority of post-secondary degrees in this country. I have no doubt that our nation’s economic prosperity is dependant upon resolving these injustices.

However, I am proud to say that in its 90 year history the Women’s Bureau has a proven record of breaking down barriers standing in the way of equitable workplaces. And as Director of the Women’s Bureau I plan to continue this legacy with my vision to empower working women to achieve economic security during their lifespan and into retirement. To achieve this goal we are currently focusing the agency’s efforts on four priority areas: equal pay, workplace flexibility, higher-paying jobs for women, and supporting homeless women veterans.

But this is not enough. To ensure that all working women have the fair working environments they deserve it will take more than the efforts of one federal agency. This Labor Day, I ask that all employers make a commitment to eliminate inequitable policies and other obstacles standing in the way of women’s rights to fair labor standards.

Sara Manzano-Diaz is the Director of the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau.

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Women's Bureau Director Sara Manzano-Díaz Celebrates Women's Equality Day

Ninety years ago marked two important milestones for women; the creation of the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau and the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution giving American women the right to vote. The Women’s Bureau was created to formulate standards and policies to promote the welfare and improve the working conditions of wage-earning women. Today, August 26, the Bureau joins the nation in observing Women’s Equality Day, celebrating the women’s right to vote.

Voting is an important part of our responsibilities as citizens. Let us continue to show our appreciation for the sacrifices of the women who came before us, whose shoulders our opportunities rest on, by actively participating, not only in voting, but in the great public policy debates of our country. We must remember the women who worked tirelessly for decades to make this historic achievement possible. They used a variety of tactics to get the Amendment ratified, including forming suffrage associations, attempting to vote and getting arrested, marching up 5th Avenue in New York and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC, and picketing the White House.

The importance of exercising the right to vote—to have a voice in choosing elected representatives and through them making important decisions that will affect our future – cannot be overstated. Women must share the message with their sisters, daughters, friends and mentees about how important voting is to our country and to furthering the progress of women, both young and old. We need only look around the world for examples of young women who are courageously fighting for their right to democratically elect representatives of their own choosing. We must not only treasure our right to vote, but make use of it and ensure that our voices are heard.

The Women’s Bureau will continue advocating for women’s issues, especially that of equality, and implore all eligible women to exercise their right to vote.

• Interview with Tina Tchen of the White House Council on
  Women and Girls


• Statement of the Secretary on the anniversary of the 19th Amendment


• Presidential Proclamation

Flexibility: Policy, Practice, and Impact

A Memorandum of Agreement to expand and promote the use of flexible workplace strategies was signed by Women's Bureau (WB) Director Sara Manzano-Diaz and Assistant Secretary for the Office of the Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Kathy Martinez on Monday. In Fall 2010, the WB and the ODEP will jointly organize and host a one-day workplace flexibility roundtable titled Universal Flexibility for All: Policy, Practice, and Impact. The forum will be an opportunity for the two agencies to discuss best practices with federal and state agencies, disability organizations, nonprofit organizations and the private sector. Stay tuned for more updates over the next few weeks.

• Read the Memorandum of Agreement

A Stand-down and Mini-Retreat for Women Veterans: A free event for all Women Veterans and their families

A Stand-down and Mini-Retreat for Women Veterans event will be held on the grounds of Penn Valley Community College, Kansas City, Missouri on Saturday, October 23rd. The event takes a proactive approach to preventing homelessness in women veterans by providing a central venue whereby women veterans can obtain information about and gain access to needed services.

Women’s Bureau Director Sara Manzano-Díaz hosted a Korean delegation

On August 3, Women’s Bureau Director Sara Manzano-Díaz hosted a Korean delegation led by the Director General of Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. In addition to the Ministry, the delegation included the President of the Gyeonggido Family and Women’s Research Institute and a staff writer of the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper in Seoul. They visited the Women’s Bureau to learn about workplace flexibility policies and programs in the United States.

Women’s Bureau Initiatives on Work-life Balance & Equal Pay Announced at the White House

On Tuesday, July 20, Vice President Joe Biden held a Middle Class Task Force event at the White House to announce initiatives and developments in the areas of equal pay and work-life balance – two of the Women’s Bureau’s four priority issues. The White House and government agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Labor (DOL), announced several new programs and collaborative, cross-agency efforts. One key collaborative effort is the Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force recently created by the President and designed to improve interagency coordination and enforcement efforts for maximum effectiveness.

In addition, as part of the Department of Labor’s ongoing efforts to promote and improve business practices and policies that provide greater work-life balance and workplace flexibility, Secretary Solis announced the Women’s Bureau’s National Dialogue on Workplace Flexibility will kick off this fall.

• Women’s Bureau News Release
• Department of Labor News Release
• Blog by Valerie Jarrett

New Fact Sheet on Break Time for Nursing Mothers

The Wage and Hour Division has posted a new fact sheet that provides general information on the break time requirement for nursing mothers in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”), which took effect when the PPACA was signed into law on March 23, 2010 (P.L. 111-148). This law amended Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Read the new Fact Sheet #73: Break Time for Nursing Mothers under the FLSA.

Highlights of Women's Earnings

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the report "Highlights of Women's Earnings, 2009." This report covers a wide variety of data related to women's earnings-full-time wage and salary workers; by State and sex; by marital status; by race and ethnicity; among other categories.