We are in the middle of the nation’s first female recession. And although everyone has been impacted by the pandemic, women seem to be shouldering the burden more than their male counterparts.
At least a decade of women’s progress in the workforce has been wiped out by the pandemic.
The COVID pandemic has led to an economic, mental health, and childcare crisis, and now research is showing women are bearing the brunt of it.
At least 11.5 million women lost their jobs compared to 9 million men. Some are calling it a “she”-cession.
But it’s not just job loss that’s impacting women more,
Moms are also taking on more of the childcare responsibilities. In fact, about one-third of working moms in two-parent households reported they were the only ones providing care for their children.
Eighty percent of moms now say they’re doing most or all of the housework and homeschooling. And 57 percent of moms now report depression and anxiety compared to only one-third of dads.
Experts say it’s a complex problem that’s going to take spouses working together, a shift in cultural expectations, and an end in gender stereotyping, to solve.
Most of the job losses have been in sectors traditionally dominated by women, such as education, hospitality, and health care. And some new research suggests women may be choosing to leave their jobs due to childcare concerns or other challenges.
In a recent study by Lean In, one in four women reported that they were considering downsizing their careers or leaving the workforce as a result of the COVID crisis.
It’s the first time in six years that this study has found evidence of women intending to leave their jobs at higher rates than men.