Sara Estep (she/her)
@saraestep.bsky.social
Economist @ CAP; opinions my own
#BlackWomensEqualPayDay highlights the reality behind the numbers: With Black women working full-time, earning only 65 cents for every dollar made by White non-Hispanic men, the wage gap continues to impact economic security, wealth building, and opportunities for future generations.
You're NOT going to hear this stat from the federal government (but you definitely should): LGBTQIA+ households make $12,600 less than non-LGBTQIA+ households every year, and the gap is even wider for LGBTQIA+ households of color and LGBTQIA+ households headed by trans people or women.
AFAIK, this is the first on-the-record statement from a state (Alabama!) that the SNAP cost-shift could end the program. “Absent any federal guidance, there’s only 3 current options available to us...And that is either pay the cost share if we’re over 6%, get the rate under 6%, or end the program.”
CAP’s art team made us this nifty graphic in our latest column (it’s interactive so hover to dive deeper); if you’re teaching an intro to econ class next semester or just trying to wrap your head around terminology this is a great resource! www.americanprogress.org/shareable/bu...
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) classifications of people not in the labor force
americanprogress.org
The May job report showed that payroll employment is moving in the right direction, but under the surface things are still tough for those who would like a job or are underemployed. Check out my latest with Jazmine Amoako for @americanprogress.bsky.social www.americanprogress.org/article/mays...
May’s Headline Jobs Numbers Mask Underlying Labor Market Slack
The May 2026 jobs report shows continued job growth and a stable unemployment rate, but there are also signs that labor market weakness—including labor underutilization—is being felt by a growing numb...
americanprogress.org
DHS's Operation Metro Surge hurt Minnesota's leisure and hospitality industry in Jan-Mar 2026, destroying: - 4,600 jobs, - 3.8 million work hours, - $71 million in wages. New analysis by me & @aaronrosenthal.bsky.social @northstarpolicy.org northstarpolicy.org/leisure-and-...
New SHED data dropped. It shows just how unaffordable child care is: "Most families who paid for both childcare and housing spent at least 50 percent as much on childcare as on housing." Moms are the ones who make career sacrifices when costs are too high. www.americanprogress.org/article/wome...
Women Workers Are a Lifeline for the Economy
As Mother’s Day approaches, April jobs data highlight that women have been a bright spot in a volatile labor market, and underneath that trend are working mothers’ labor force participation rates.
americanprogress.org
Charts! Starting with the big one: Consumer prices in April were up 3.8 percent from a year earlier, the fastest inflation since May 2023. Over the past three months, prices have risen at an annual rate of 7.3%. #NumbersDay
Ben Casselman@bencasselman.bsky.social · 3mo agoU.S. consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in April and were up 3.8 percent from a year earlier -- the fastest year-over-year price growth since May 2023. "Core" prices, excluding food and energy, were up 0.4 percent month/month and 2.8 percent year/year. Data: www.bls.gov/news.release... #NumbersDay
The Trump admin today finalized a change to the federal child care subsidy program that risks further destabilizing programs & making care more costly for already-struggling families. Kids deserve a strong start in life, not a bet against their futures. Learn more (s/o @kcpeeks.bsky.social):
The Trump Administration’s Changes to the Child Care and Development Fund Would Strip Families of Thousands of Dollars in Potential Child Care Savings
Removing a 7 percent cap on child care copayments would put much-needed relief from rising child care costs out of reach for families in 10 states.
americanprogress.org
Today, the Trump admin released a prelim change to Head Start that undermines a commitment to improve wages. It all but guarantees these educators will live in poverty - or be forced to leave the field, worsening already dire shortages. Listen for yourself: www.americanprogress.org/article/we-a...
‘We Are the Resources’: Head Start Is a Crucial Early Learning and Community Program for Families Nationwide
Despite repeated attacks on the program, Head Start has a 60-year track record of providing high-quality services that prepare young children for school and set families up for success.
americanprogress.org
Head Start is a remarkable program, with outsized benefits, considering its limited $$$. Rural communities depend on it, but in our research on deserts, we found that ~1/2 have no access at all. A rule change cutting ed wages will make that crisis worse: www.americanprogress.org/article/amer...
America's Licensed Child Care Deserts
Eight years after our initial report, CAP’s 2026 analyses of U.S. licensed child care supply reveal that just fewer than half of the nation’s young children still live in child care deserts.
americanprogress.org
Prime-age women, and especially mothers of young children, powered the country’s post-pandemic labor force recovery. Today, their labor force participation rate remains near record highs—underscoring the crucial role mothers play in the economy and labor force.
As moms are driving the growth in America's labor market, it's time for major investments in early childcare.
The American workforce is a matriarchy
As moms are driving the growth in America's labor market, it's time for major investments in early childcare
salon.com
Really interesting #JobsDay piece by @saraestep.bsky.social last week noting that women make up a majority of the employed. It reminded me about the growing prevalence of healthcare jobs & ensuring the jobs disproportionately held by women pay well. www.epi.org/publication/...
The real career killer for American mothers is insufficient access to high-quality, affordable childcare. We need to fix that. More from CAP's @saraestep.bsky.social for @salon.com: https://t.co/GQ3wwMuR96
https://bit.ly/4eJ5jkB
t.co
The real career killer for American mothers is insufficient access to high-quality, affordable childcare. We need to fix that. Check out my latest for @Salon.com: t.co/GQ3wwMuR96
https://bit.ly/4eJ5jkB
t.co
Women have made up the majority of nonfarm employed since February this year and since the pandemic mothers have been driving LFPR trends. Check out @kennedyandara.bsky.social and my new analysis: www.americanprogress.org/article/wome...
Women Workers Are a Lifeline for the Economy
As Mother’s Day approaches, April jobs data highlight that women have been a bright spot in a volatile labor market, and underneath that trend are working mothers’ labor force participation rates.
americanprogress.org
When the GOP makes it harder to find childcare or for elderly and disabled people to access long-term supportive systems they are also forcing family members (disproportionately women to drop out of the labor force to serve as primary caregivers. This to them is a feature not a bug.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is considering rescinding the EEO-1 data collection that helps enforce gender and racial nondiscrimination in employment. Read more on ending workplace discrimination: www.americanprogress.org/article/play...
Ending Discrimination and Harassment at Work
Policymakers can take steps to create workplaces that are safe and free from discrimination and harassment to the benefit of women, employers, and the economy.
americanprogress.org
#AANHPIEqualPay is about more than just fair wages. It also includes having workplaces free from discrimination and harassment, but we can't identify problems we don't measure.
Single mothers, many of whom are commuting to work and shuttling their kids around, are among the hardest hit by rising gas prices due to the Iran war. As a single mom, “you’re already underwater, and it’s almost like the gas puts weights on your feet.” 19thnews.org/2026/03/iran...
‘I can’t keep up’: Many single moms were struggling to get by. Then gas prices shot up.
Single mothers, many of whom are commuting to work and shuttling their kids around, are among the hardest hit by rising gas prices due to the Iran war.
19thnews.org
Happening soon, and what better day to talk about raising the minimum wage than #equalpayday.
Center for American Progress@americanprogress.bsky.social · 5mo agoThe federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25/hour since 2009. While we tackle the many costs that make budgeting difficult, it is time to address the other side: raising wages. Join CAP on March 26 for an event featuring keynote speaker @arindube.bsky.social. https://ampr.gs/4dvAleW
CAP finds that it would take 45 years to close the gender wage gap between men and women. That means some of your favorite celebrities, like Zendaya, would be in their 70s by the time U.S. women are paid the same as men. How old will you be in 2071? #EqualPayDay
We can’t afford to wait this long for equal pay! We must ensure our government continues to collect the data we need to identify demographic gaps in employment. The EEOC must continue to collect EEO-1 and other related data.
Center for American Progress@americanprogress.bsky.social · 4mo agoCAP finds that it would take 45 years to close the gender wage gap between men and women. That means some of your favorite celebrities, like Zendaya, would be in their 70s by the time U.S. women are paid the same as men. How old will you be in 2071? #EqualPayDay
Trump's tariffs are a hefty tax on small businesses, with the average small-business importer paying $306k in additional tariffs since March 2025. And in 15 states, that average is even higher. www.americanprogress.org/article/in-t...
In the First Year, President Trump’s Tariffs Have Cost Small-Business Importers $306,000 on Average
New state-by-state analysis finds that the Trump administration’s trade policies are a hefty tax on small businesses, the backbone of America’s workforce.
americanprogress.org
BIG NEWS: Virginia is one signature away from becoming the 14th state (plus D.C.) to guarantee the right to paid family and medical leave. CAP senior fellow @mollyww.bsky.social explains:
New jobs day analysis from @saraestep.bsky.social and me on the latest labor market data and how Trump's immigration policies are not delivering for native-born workers and hurting the overall health of the labor market #numbersday #econsky ⇣ www.americanprogress.org/article/immi...
Immigrants Make the Labor Market Great
CAP analysis of the February 2026 employment report shows that President Trump’s promises to native-born workers have yet to materialize while reduced immigration is poised to have a negative effect o...
americanprogress.org
We may not have a #JobsReport, but we do have a new @hamiltonproject.org labor market data interactive! Plot series on labor force participation, employment, unemployment, and other key indicators. I use this more than FRED. www.hamiltonproject.org/data/trackin...
Tracking the labor market and jobs - The Hamilton Project
This data interactive allows users to explore trends in labor force participation, employment, and unemployment, among other key indicators.
hamiltonproject.org
