Sharon Harlan, Director of Research, CWG
Founded in 1978 to improve employment opportunities for women and minorities in the public sector, the Center for Women in Government is expanding the scope of its research to address the changing nature of the workplace and the shifting composition of the workforce, which will include more women, minorities, older and disabled workers. With roots in New York State and New York City, the Center is trying to meet increased demands for its programs across the country and internationally.
Initially, Center researchers examined career ladders in the New York State civil service, finding them to be segregated by sex and structurally different, depending on the sex of the incumbents. Building on this work, other Center studies have focused on the promotion process, identifying civil sevice rules and regulations that impede the career mobility of women and minorities. The Center has also conducted research on the status and experience of public sector employees in the courts, in nontraditional jobs, such as the uniformed services in New York City, and in CETA-sponsored training programs.
The Center is perhaps the best known internationally for its path-breaking research in the field of pay equity and job classification systems. Following the major New York State Comparable Worth Study, the Center conducted similar pay equity studies in other state and local jurisdictions, as well as in Canada where several provinces have passed legislation mandating pay equity in the public and private sectors. We have further provided technical assistance and disseminated information on pay equity, job evaluation, and classification and compensation systems through publications and testimony.
We are undertaking new initiatives to expand the Center's outreach to disadvantaged women. These projects include: assessing the training needs of young, minority women in several U.S. cities with the objective of giving them access to public sector jobs; research on the employment experiences of disabled women in state government; and examining the impact of employers' benefit policies on women with family and care-giving responsibilities.
As part of the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the Center has pursued its goal of equal employment opportunity through a program that combines research, training, technical assistance, public education, and networking. Its work is funded mainly by grants and contracts from sources that include foundations, governments and unions; its staff includes full-time researchers and trainers. Over the years, the Center's research unit has been led by a succession of sociologists with a primary interest in gender inequality. Current Executive Director, Florence B. Bonner, and Director of Research, Sharon L. Harlan, are also sociologists. The Center's training unit, currently directed by Billie Luisi-Potts, has been instrumental in translating research into action in areas such as career advancement, sexual harassment prevention, and managing the automated workplace.