Women Employed

Women Employed is a Chicago advocacy organization working to improve the economic status of women and remove barriers to economic equity. Since 1973 it has pushed for change in Illinois, with a focus on women in low or unpaid work and on Black and Latina women.

The team drafts testimony, advises legislators and agencies, and mobilizes advocates on issues including equal pay, paid sick time and leave, fair scheduling, minimum wage, pregnancy fairness and sexual harassment. Its wins include Illinois's No Salary History law and paid time off laws in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois. Women Employed also helps students: it tracks financial aid and student debt policy, publishes student debt resources, and partners with City Colleges of Chicago on bridge programs and the Career Foundations course, sharing lesson plans with colleges and community groups.

Working women can find free Know Your Rights on the Job fact sheets on Illinois and federal employment law, salary transparency and equal pay. The Women's Entrepreneurship Hub (WE Hub) is a statewide online resource where women starting or growing businesses gather trusted resources, toolkits and funding opportunities.

People can join the Advocacy Council or Marketing Council, volunteer at The Working Lunch, apply for the Pattis Family Foundation Summer Leadership Program, sign up for the Action Network, or donate.