The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) governs federal workforce development programs, which serve as a pathway for women to enter the higher-paid, traditionally male-dominated skilled trades and the opportunity for greater economic security. However, these programs have historically reinforced occupational gender segregation and the gender wage gap, and have offered inadequate protections against several kinds of sex discrimination occurring within WIOA-funded programs.
In January 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued proposed regulations implementing the nondiscrimination provisions of WIOA. In response, ERA and 84 partner organizations joined in submitting extensive comments to the DOL outlining the causes and common practices that have impeded the implementation of WIOA nondiscrimination provisions.
Our comments highlighted several areas in which the proposed regulations could be strengthened, with particular attention to discrimination based on pregnancy, domestic violence, gender identity, and sexual orientation. We provided detailed suggestions of additional language, policy models, “best practices,” and examples for DOL to include in the final regulations to ensure robust implementation of WIOA’s anti-discrimination provisions.
Read our complete comments here and learn more about our Women at Work initiative here.
This post was written by ERA Law Fellow Maha Ibrahim.
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