The goal of the Institute for Women's Policy Research is to conduct actionable research and disseminate its findings to address the needs of women, promote women's equality, inform public dialog, and strengthen families, communities, and societies. Through its printed and digitally – shared reports, IWPR informs the public, policymakers, and community leaders to ground dialogue, legislation, and projects pertaining to the status and needs of women in data.

The Institute generates a steady supply of reliable research, analysis, and new ideas for and with its core audience of influential change agents who inhabit the interrelated worlds of academia, public policy, and the media. They include policymakers, advocates, researchers, journalists, foundation officers, and program developers and practitioners who serve women and their families, business and labor leaders, and other power brokers and opinion leaders. The Institute also seeks to time its research for maximum relevance and effectiveness.

As the premier think tank in the United States addressing policy through a gendered and intersectional lens, IWPR is unique in its ability to marshal social science research and bring it to bear on policy questions facing the nation. IWPR enjoys an established reputation for rigorous and reliable research that is also timely, accessible, and user friendly. IWPR translates complex issues into the dollars and cents figures that policymakers understand. IWPR's staff members have training in the fields of economics, sociology, psychology, theology, public policy, and women's studies enabling IWPR to develop multi-disciplinary approaches to research. IWPR staff members are not only skilled researchers but also able communicators, who work frequently with advocates, program designers, practitioners, philanthropists, and policymakers at all levels of government and regularly speak with journalists. IWPR's work and experts are cited in more than a thousand media sources each year.

IWPR uses the following indicators to measure success of its work: •Number of publications produced annually by IWPR on current issues impacting women; •Number of events IWPR experts present research findings, as well as type of event (stakeholder or policymaker meeting, webinar, conference, etc. ); •Number of times IWPR's research is cited in other publications, media outlets, and policymakers; •Website visits and social media reach; and, •Policy changes that improve women's circumstances and promote equality.

IWPR's ressearch has contributed to improving women's lives, including: • to safeguard and expand financial support for child care on college campuses. • to strengthen pay equity protections for women in several cities and states. • to support the work of advocates working in the states to promote policy agendas that meet the needs of women. • cited in news articles that shape the conversations around #BlackLivesMatter, #Fightfor15, #EqualPayDay, #MeToo, and #TimesUp. • contributed to new paid sick leave protections in ten states, DC, two counties, and thirty cities, and new paid family and medical leave protections in six states and DC. As society adapts to the risks and opportunities posed by projected changes in the way people work, form relationships, and combine work and family, IWPR is adapting its own research to inspire public dialogue, shape policy, and improve the lives and opportunities of women of diverse backgrounds, circumstances, and experiences.