Research InformationNetwork on Women and Girls in Illinois
Where am I? RIN -> Work and Poverty -> Illinois

Work and Poverty in Illinois

The section on work and poverty includes links to information about a variety of topics having to do with women's participation in the labor market, welfare, and poverty.

See also Work and Poverty in the United States and Work and Poverty in Chicago.

Contents

Women's Participation in the Labor Market
Women Entrepreneurs
Careers/Compensation
Work and Child Care
Welfare and Poverty
Policy
Organizations for General Information

Most of the data in this section come from very large governmental data sites, mainly the U.S Department of Labor and the U.S. Census Bureau. These sites are very complex but contain a tremendous amount of useful data. They offer search functions to make the task of finding specific information easier. Below is a very general introduction to these sites, how they are connected to each other, and what can make your search more efficient.

U.S. Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) homepage has a search button allowing you to search almost anything having to do with DOL. There is also online help for conducting an effective search.

DOL is made up of several bureaus (see http://www.dol.gov/dol/public/agencies/agency.htm for a list). Two of these are listed below.

U.S. Census Bureau

The Census pages are easy and fun to use. They employ a lot of graphic images that make the site more user friendly but also require a fast computer to handle these more complicated files.

Some Illinois-Specific Search Engines and Research Sites

In addition to the government sites, there are other public search engines available to look for data and/or reports. Some of these are cross-linked with government sites, which can make a search a little confusing. As with the government sites, you will need to spend some time getting to know these search engines before being able to quickly find what you are looking for.

Women's Participation in the Labor Market

Bureau of Labor Statistics Region V - Chicago
http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/info_about_wb/regions/region5.htm

Women's Bureau Region V - Chicago http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/info_about_wb/regions/il.htm

Government Information Sharing Project General Statistical Profile for Illinois
http://govinfo.kerr.orst.edu/cgi-bin/buildit?1a-state.ils Includes some gender data on housing, income, labor, and social data, searchable by city, town, or county.

Illinois Labor History Society Bibliography of Women's Labor History
http://www.kentlaw.edu:80/ilhs/bibliogw.html

Women Entrepreneurs

National Foundation for Women Business Owners
http://www.nfwbo.org/
The National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO) is a nonprofit research and leadership development foundation. NFWBO is recognized as the premier source of information and intelligence on women business owners and their enterprises by corporations, policy makers, financial institutions and the media. Here is a sample press release. Full reports must be bought from NFWBO.

Careers/Compensation

IOICC: Illinois Job Outlook in Brief 1998-2005
http://www.ioicc.state.il.us/JOIB/joibtop1.htm
Projections in Illinois job openings and salaries from the Illinois Occupational Information Coordinating Committee site.

Women's Bureau Region V - Illinois
http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/info_about_wb/regions/il.htm
Sections include "Upcoming Events/News Updates," "Working Women Count Honor Roll Organizations," "Fair Pay Resources," and "Displaced Homemakers Resources."

Work and Child Care

Child Care
http://www.state.il.us/agency/dhs/CHILD.HTM
Information about Illinois' income-based childcare system for working families, from the Illinois Department of Human Services website. Also see this listing by county of local DHS offices to contact a local office for more information.

Welfare/Poverty

1990 Census data of income and poverty in Illinois
http://www.rrds.siue.edu/illinois1.htm
Stats on income and poverty (some info on gender).

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Region V - Chicago
http://stats.bls.gov/ro5news.htm
Note: The following data sets give information about employment and income in Illinois, Chicago, and other Illinois towns and cities. Although most of the data sets do not provide gender-specific data, some of them provide information by occupational categories.

Welfare Reform Plan for the State of Illinois
http://www.state.il.us/agency/dhs/TANF.HTM
Information on welfare reform in Illinois from the Illinois Department of Human Services, including current Illinois welfare caseload statistics.

Policy

Illinois Human Rights Act
http://www.state.il.us/dhr/laws/act_intr.htm
The Illinois Department of Human Rights website has made the text of the law accessible online, including the provisions covering civil rights, discrimination, and sexual harassment in higher education. DHR rules and regulations are also available.

Final Report of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Illinois: Economic Independence for Women: An Action Plan for Illinois
http://www.bcbsil.com/company/womcom.pdf
Produced by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. This December 1998 report addresses topics such as increasing women's opportunities in employment and business, family violence, sustainable family wage, education and training, child care and elder care, and health care. (NOTE: You will need to download and install Adobe Acrobat to be able to view this document.)

Organizations for General Information

Illinois Department of Labor
http://www.state.il.us/agency/idol/
Date Last Updated: 8/21/2000
[Site Map]
[About RIN] [What's New] [User Survey]
[Education/Training] [Health/Aging] [Violence/Safety]
[Work/Poverty] [Family/Caregiving] [Reports]
[Networks] [Policy/Action] [Contact Us]
[Home]