'Shecession': The Pandemic's Impact On Women In The Workforce
The ‘shecession.’ More women are losing their jobs than men. What’s the long-term impact on families?
Guests
C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, a nonprofit. Author of “Born Bright.” (@cnicolemason)
Alicia Modestino, labor economist. Associate professor of public policy, urban affairs and economics at Northeastern University. (@SasserModestino)
From The Reading List
USA Today: “865,000 women left the workforce last month” — “The figure captures the enduring challenges faced by women who make up the majority of the workforce in fields that have been hardest hit by social distancing and COVID-19 – particularly retail and hospitality – and the ongoing dissolution of the child care industry that has left many working mothers without options. ”
New York Times: “Why Did Hundreds of Thousands of Women Drop Out of the Work Force?“– “The September jobs numbers, released by the Labor Department on Friday, confirmed what economists and experts had feared: The recession unleashed by the pandemic is sidelining hundreds of thousands of women and wiping out the hard-fought gains they made in the workplace over the past few years.”
Vox: “The Great Recession was called a “mancession.” This one could be devastating for women.” — “Before the coronavirus pandemic, Eleanore Fernandez worked as an executive assistant at a company that catered healthy snacks for Silicon Valley offices.”
World Economic Forum: “Why COVID-19 could force millions of women to quit work – and how to support them” — “One in four women are considering downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce entirely because of the impact of COVID-19, according to a new report.”
Bloomberg: “The First Female Recession Threatens to Wipe Out Decades of Progress for U.S. Women” — “Women helped pull the U.S. economy out of the last recession. This time around they are falling behind.”
Washington Post: “Opinion: Women are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis. They must lead our recovery plans.” — “The Great Recession hit male-dominated professions hard. This time around, women are bearing the brunt of the economic crisis. They must be at the forefront of our recovery.”
New York Times: “Why Some Women Call This Recession a ‘Shecession’” — “The unemployment numbers released on Friday confirmed what we had all anticipated: The economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is staggering, or as one research analyst at Bank of America put it to The Times, ‘literally off the charts.'”
This article was originally published on WBUR.org. [Copyright 2020 NPR]
