Recent data shows the gender pay gap widened again in 2025, in both hourly and salaried occupations, continuing a concerning shift after years of slow progress.
Women earned about 82. …
As of March 2026, Arizona’s women’s rights landscape is defined by a combination of voter-approved protections and ongoing legislative and legal challenges.
In 2024, voters approved Proposition 139, …
Note from Julie
Hi — I’m Julie, founder of the Women’s Rights Data Initiative.
I started WRDI because I was struggling to understand what was actually happening to women’ …
As of January 2026 — Abortion access seems split into three Americas. Roughly a third of states ban most abortions, a third have acted to protect or expand access, and the rest fall into a confusing middle where court rulings and clinic availability keep shifting. Measures like South Carolina’s personhood bill, along with growing efforts to challenge or limit medication abortion, are deepening the divide in where and how women receive care.
Each March, Women’s History Month invites reflection on the progress women have made — and the work that remains. International Women’s Day (March 8) similarly serves as a global …
Several states are advancing policies designed to strengthen protections for reproductive healthcare, including laws that shield providers from out-of-state legal actions, protect patients traveling for care, and expand access to …
Several states are advancing new policies that expand how abortion restrictions are enforced, including proposals that introduce criminal penalties, broaden legal definitions of fetal personhood, or create new legal mechanisms …
Project 2025 is a long-term policy blueprint created by a group of conservative organizations and led by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. Released ahead of the 2024 presidential …
Federal laws play a powerful role in shaping women’s rights in the United States. Even when enforcement and impact vary from place to place, these laws establish national standards …
The word “protected” sounds definitive.
In everyday language, it suggests something settled—a right that’s been secured and placed out of reach of change. In law, the meaning is …
When people hear the phrase “abortion is healthcare,” it’s often assumed to be a political statement. In medicine, it isn’t. It’s a description of how pregnancy care …
In Wisconsin, new mothers covered by Medicaid (BadgerCare) lose their full coverage just 60 days after giving birth — one of the shortest periods in the country. A bipartisan bill (SB …
The 2025 One Big Beautiful Big Act (H.R.1) introduces sweeping changes to the Medicaid program—stricter eligibility and verification rules, increased administrative burdens, and significantly reduced federal funds …
California passed a law in September 2025 allowing doctors to prescribe and mail abortion pills anonymously, shielding providers from out-of-state legal targeting. The law expands on earlier “shield laws” by …
HB 7 authorizes private citizens to sue those who manufacture, distribute, mail, deliver, prescribe, or otherwise provide abortion-inducing drugs to or from Texas. The law exempts pregnant patients from being …
As more Southern states restrict or ban abortion, Virginia is emerging as a key access provider in the Mid-Atlantic and broader South regions. Recent reporting shows that abortions performed in …
In 2024, Texas expanded postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage from 2 months to 12. The bipartisan bill (HB 12) aims to improve maternal health by allowing new mothers to continue …
In November 2022, California voters approved Proposition 1, amending the state constitution to explicitly guarantee reproductive freedom, including abortion and contraception. The amendment added language to Article I, making clear …
On May 19, 2021, Governor Abbott signed SB 8, also known as the Heartbeat Act, prohibiting doctors from performing abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around 6 weeks. …
On January 24, 2025, the Justice Department announced it would enforce violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act "only in extraordinary circumstances", such as …
