PULSE POINTS
BY JOSH CORMAN
WOMEN AND THE WORKFORCE
BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND MAY OF 2020 , almost 11 million jobs held by women in the United States disappeared . As a result , female unemployment reached double-digits in the U . S . for the first time since 1948 . And high unemployment rates were just part of COVID-19 ’ s economic fallout — women also left the workforce altogether at higher rates than men in 2020 . In September of last year alone , more than 850,000 women dropped out of the workforce , compared to just 216,000 men .
Why were women so disproportionately affected by the pandemic ’ s impact on the job market ? There are a couple of reasons , actually . First , women hold the majority of positions in the sectors , such as retail , leisure and hospitality , that the pandemic hit hardest . Second , because women often perform the majority of childcare duties , disruptions to the childcare industry and widespread movement toward virtual schooling has made it difficult for many women who were laid off or furloughed to return to their
52 PULSE ■ JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2021