2.3M women out of the labor force during pandemic
WASHINGTON (SBG) - The economic cost of the pandemic appears to be hurting working women more so than men. So far, an estimated two million women have left the workforce, and the pandemic is not even over. Additionally, women account for over 53% of all the jobs lost since the start of the pandemic.
Tania Rivera, a wife and mother of two young sons, ages seven and five, feels she is bearing the brunt of the pandemic burden in her family.
“In the midst of me working, I still have to be this mother. I still have to be this educator. I still have to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” said Rivera. “It’s no longer just on the weekend. Now, it’s every single day.”
This type of pressure looks to be a driving force pushing many women out of the workforce voluntarily. School closures, lack of child care, and the husband being the primary breadwinner in the family unit means women are being forced to adopt many responsibilities that are typically outsourced by a family – services that have been shut down during the pandemic. Women like Rivera, who have young children, are more likely to leave the labor force for these reasons.
The National Women’s Law Center says over 2.3 million women completely dropped out of the labor force between February 2020 and February 2021, compared to over 1.8 million men over the same time period. Only 57% of women are participating in the labor force, the lowest level since 1988.
