The long-standing struggle and pursuit of human rights in the US has often transpired within the workplace. Out of this struggle arose a commitment to equal opportunity and a supporting policy framework to address workplace discrimination and harassment, supported by popular opinion embracing equal opportunity as a shared value. Today, however, questions about the US’ commitment to justice, freedom, and equal opportunity have reemerged. Efforts to demonize and dismantle DEIA efforts in the public and private sectors and moves to weaken workers’ rights harken back to some of our nation’s darkest times, to periods where a controlling white class, often with force and violence, restricted where certain people could work, go to school, engage in leisure, pray, and live. Effects from those restrictions linger even today, but substantial progress towards our ideals of equal opportunity has been made. Now that progress appears to be in danger. 

The pursuit of a fairer economy and society for all and the elimination of discrimination and harassment has always been a cornerstone of our work at the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program. We know that the weakening of protections and rights of any worker threatens the protections and rights of all workers. When we allow exploitation or harm to any worker, we open up a race to the bottom for all workers in areas, such as hiring, promotion, pay, safety, and the right to join a union. These are the roots of the job quality crisis we are already living and breathing today. Making progress in addressing the job quality crisis requires that we make progress together, for everyone, and that we attend to workers who have been marginalized, disempowered, and disregarded.  

In this month’s newsletter, we lift up some of the upcoming and past discussions and writings we’ve done on equal opportunity at work. We hope it offers inspiration, encourages solidarity, and reminds us that the pursuit of a fairer economy for all is often met with resistance, but progress is possible when we find common cause despite our differences and work toward the common good. 

Upcoming — Re-Entry and Good Jobs: Building the Second Chances We All Believe In 

Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, February 26, for part two of our two-event series, “Re-Entry and Good Jobs: Building the Second Chances We All Believe In.” This event will delve into the discrimination faced by formerly incarcerated people in the job market, highlighting barriers such as criminal records, occupational licensing restrictions, and the lack of support that prevents many from accessing quality employment opportunities. We will also explore efforts to reform the system and provide returning citizens with better opportunities. Don’t miss this chance to join the conversation live — register now! 

RSVP

Video — Title VII, Civil Rights, and the Promise of Equal Opportunity

In this event, Title VII, Civil Rights, and the Promise of Equal Opportunity, we convened a panel of business leaders, worker advocates, scholars, and legal advocates to discuss the history of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the impact it has had on diversity in the workplace. Panelists also discussed the limitations of the law and how it might be updated to reflect current challenges.

Watch Video

Op-Ed — We still need an inclusive economic policy 60 years after the Equal Pay Act of 1963

Writing in the Hill, for the 60th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, Shelly Steward — former director of our Future of Work Initiative — and Virgil Parker — 2020 William Randolph Hearst Fellow at the Aspen Institute — reflect on the slow progress in addressing the gender pay gap. While women now earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by men — up from 59 cents in 1963 — these gains have disproportionately benefited white women, with women of color, particularly Black, Latina, Native, and trans women earning significantly less. This enduring disparity results from a long history of undervaluing women’s work. Learn more here. 

Read Op-Ed

Blog Post — Let’s Talk about Job Quality for LGBTQIA+ Workers

Discrimination in the workplace continues to affect LGBTQIA+ workers, particularly in low-wage jobs with limited benefits and advancement opportunities. This blog post, written by our colleagues Bryn Morgan and Maya Smith, explores how LGBTQIA+ employees face barriers to economic stability, mobility, and equity, often compounded by anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and workplace harassment. It also highlights the need for increased protections and better job quality for LGBTQIA+, especially those who are transgender and people of color. Read more to understand the challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ workers and how we can support meaningful change.  

Read Blog Post

Publication — Wealth Equity and the Role of Employee Ownership 

This report — co-authored by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program in partnership with the Rutgers Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing and the Democracy at Work Institute — addresses the deepening wealth divide, particularly between men and women, as well as between white households and households of color. The report advocates for expanding employee share ownership as a solution to this inequity, proposing that it not only improves wealth distribution but also enhances job quality and worker agency. It offers policy recommendations aimed at advancing racial and gender wealth equity through employee ownership as a means to foster economic justice and a more inclusive economy. 

Read Report

Learn More

The Economic Opportunities Program advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy. Follow us on social media and join our mailing list to stay up-to-date on publications, blog posts, events, and other announcements.