Last week,
thousands of Americans came together in Washington, D.C. for the first ever
United State of Women conference, a day-long celebration of what women have
achieved and a conversation about the important work we still need to do to reach
gender equality.
I’m happy to
say that like many agencies throughout the Federal Government, as an active member
of the White House Council on Women and Girls, OPM participated in the lead-up
to this historic event. We provided information about the status of women in
the Federal service – from narrowing the gender pay gap to flexibilities and
work-life programs that make it easier for women – and men – to succeed in the
workplace, to the Federal Government’s record of hiring women, especially in
some mission critical positions.
As you’ll see
in the Women in the
Federal Workforce infographics, today the 897,892 women who work
for the Federal Government make up 44 percent of the entire Federal workforce.
Women are succeeding across government – from entry-level positions to various
leadership roles. Here are just a couple of examples:
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The
number of Federal women working in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics – or STEM – fields is on the rise. In 2008, 64,574 were working in
Federal STEM jobs. That number rose to 70,047 in 2015. Women have been hired at
an increasing rate into the Pathways Programs, including the Presidential
Management Fellows (PMF) programs. The PMF is the Federal Government’s flagship
leadership development program, which has a special STEM track.
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The representation of
women in the Senior Executive Service (SES), the Federal Government’s highest career
level, increased by five percent between
2008 and 2015. And OPM is working with agencies across
government to increase awareness of leadership development programs like
Executive Women in Motion and other mentoring and training opportunities.
By creating
opportunity at every level of the workforce, we are working to attract, empower,
and retain a talented and productive workforce.
Our commitment to workplace flexibilities and employee wellness makes the
Federal service an ideal place for employees to build their careers and
cultivate fulfilling lives outside the workplace.
Building on
directives from the President, OPM developed two comprehensive handbooks and an
online training course to help Federal employees better understand their leave
and workplace flexibility options, including providing support for elder care,
childbirth, adoption, and foster care.
The government continues
to be a model employer for men and women in helping them maintain a healthy
work-life balance and feel fulfilled in their jobs. Data from the Federal
Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) shows that satisfaction with Federal work-life
programs is very high among women – and men - who participate in programs such
as flexible work schedules, telework, health and wellness programs, the
Employee Assistance Program (EAP), child care programs, and elder care
programs.
The data also
shows that the gender pay gap in the Federal government continues to narrow. In
2014, nationally, women were paid 79 cents for every dollar a man was paid. In
2015, across the Federal Government, women in white-collar jobs were paid
89 cents on the dollar. With more women than ever contributing to the
government’s mission critical occupations, the gender pay gap continues to narrow
even more for women working in STEM, IT/cyber security, economist, auditor,
contract specialist, and human resources positions jobs. In the Senior
Executive Service, as of 2015, women were paid equally with their male
counterparts.
In April of 2014,
in response to a memorandum from the President, OPM issued a Governmentwide Strategy on
Advancing Pay Equality in the Federal Government. Since that strategy was issued,
OPM has taken a number of actions to narrow the gender pay gap in the Federal
workforce. For example, on July 30, 2015, we issued a memorandum cautioning agencies not to solely use
a job candidate’s existing salary to set pay, as that can potentially adversely
affect candidates who may have taken time off from their careers or whose
existing salary doesn’t reflect an applicant’s current qualifications.
The summit
shone a spotlight on the accomplishments women have made in the workplace and
on the work still to be done. At OPM and across the Federal Government, we
continue to work to make sure all employees are aware of the workplace
flexibilities they may be eligible for, and to encourage women – and men – to
work in the many mission critical occupations and to apply for leadership
positions.