Unemployment Insurance

Women and Unemployment Insurance
Institute for Women’s Policy Research (www.iwpr.org). IWPR Publication #A122. Nov 1999. “Most workers expect that they can receive unemployment insurance (UI) benefits if they are temporarily out of work. However, many workers are not eligible for UI, because they work too few hours at low wages, or because they leave their jobs for reasons that are not considered “good cause,” or because they are looking for a part-time job. Nationally, only 35 percent of unemployed men and a mere 23 percent of unemployed women receive UI.” Issue brief in PDF

U.S. Unemployment Insurance: A Safety Net With Holes
The Clearinghouse on International Developments in Child, Youth & Family Policies at Columbia University (www.childpolicyintl.org). Dec 2001. “Unemployment insurance rules are tight and many of the unemployed are ineligible, or get too little help. In late 2001, only 39 percent of those who were unemployed were eligible to receive benefits. Furthermore, when looking at other industrialized nations who have unemployment insurance programs, the American system falls behind and joins a small group of second-tier countries where fewer of the unemployed are covered, where the benefits are less generous, and where the period of time for necessary benefits is briefer.” Policy brief in HTML or PDF

Between a Rock and a Hard Place:
Confronting the Failure of State Unemployment Insurance Systems
to Serve Women and Working Families
Rebecca Smith, Rick McHugh, Andrew Stettner, and Nancy Segal. From the National Employment Law Project (www.nelp.org). Mar 2003. “In 41 states, men are more likely to receive unemployment insurance benefits than are women. In some states, men receive UI at a rate as much as 20 percent higher than women. Critically, among workers who quit their jobs, women are 32 percent less likely to qualify for UI benefits than men.” Full report in PDF or Executive Summary in HTML

The EPI Issue Guide on Unemployment Insurance
The Economic Policy Institute (www.epi.org)
Aug 2004. Overview, fast facts and resources. Index in HTML

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