Women in the Workforce: Navigating Barriers & Exploring Solutions

Women in Cook County face the challenges of managing work, family, and the costs of raising children and caring for loved ones, often with little external support. The pandemic has exacerbated these challenges, especially for female heads of household struggling to support families. Female workers now contend with rising inflation, the reduction of overtime pay, and the lack of paid leave, among many other challenges.

Women continue to grapple with the gender wage gap, biases ingrained in workplace culture, discrimination, and occupational segregation that reflects women’s overconcentration in low-wage jobs. And the unique experiences of women of color — who live at the intersection of compounding gender, race, and ethnic biases—are often ignored entirely. Consequently, practices and attitudes that devalue their skills and limit their opportunities for advancement frequently go unchallenged.

Host: Audra Wilson Chair of Cook County

Commission on Women’s Issues & CEO Shriver Center on Poverty Law

• Jayne Vellinga - Executive Director of Chicago Women in Trade

• Gina Rodriguez - Regional Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau’s Midwest Office

• Mayumi “Umi” Grigsby Chicago - Chief of Staff at Chicago Foundation for Women & Chairperson Cook County Commission on Human Rights

• Saru Jayaraman - President, One Fair Wage; Director, Food Labor Research Center, UC Berkeley