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The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau, established by Congress in 1920, is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women in the public policy process. For 89 years, it has been meeting that mandate -- identifying the topics working women care about most, aggressively researching the issues, and pioneering innovative programs to address them -- amidst the ever-changing compass of our nation. In 1922, for example, the Women's Bureau investigated and reported on the conditions facing "negro women in industry". In the 1950’s, the focus included "older women as office workers". The agency’s emphasis included contingent workers in the 1980’s, non-standard hour child care options and domestic violence as a workplace issue in the 1990’s, and financial literacy and technology in the new millennium -- to name just a few.
The Bureau has always been a champion for the interests of working women. One of the agency's early achievements was the inclusion of women under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which, for the first time, set minimum wages and maximum working hours. During World War II, the Bureau worked to achieve more skills training, wider job opportunities, better pay and better working conditions for what was then the “new” female workforce. The Bureau was also proud to play an instrumental role in the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
Balancing work and family is another area with a multi-faceted history within the Women’s Bureau. In 1982, the Bureau was proud to announce the launch of a major initiative to encourage employer-sponsored child care, followed by the establishment of a multi-media Work and Family Clearinghouse in 1989, and pressure for the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
Today, the Bureau continues to work cooperatively with employers and other supporters to improve the prospects for 21st Century working women. Through projects utilizing the latest technology and professionals as mentors, young women are exploring careers in science, engineering, and technology; young women and men are learning about careers in nursing; Generation X and Y women are receiving financial education online and in classroom settings; women with young children are developing new skills online; business owners are developing policies to provide workplace flexibility to their employees; and new horizons are being opened for young women in the field of nanotechnology.
The Women’s Bureau reaches constituents through the hard work and dedication of staff in the National Office and ten Regional Offices across the country. Information on the status of women workers as well as resources for addressing workplace concerns are available via published fact sheets and electronic newsletters that reach more than 250,000 women. The Bureau recently added a series of five YouTube videos to a financial education public service campaign to broaden its outreach to even more working women and their families.
While the Women's Bureau is proud of its accomplishments, credit must also extend to our supporters, who believe in our mission; to employers, who recognize that women's work makes the world work; and most of all, to women workers.
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