Did the COVID-19 recession reduce employment among women more than among men?
Yes
Before COVID-19, the most recent economic recessions in the United States have been “mancessions,” meaning that employment losses were larger for men than women. In contrast, the COVID-19 recession has led to a sharp decline in women’s employment. Women’s unemployment rate rose by 12.8 percentage points between February and April 2020 — 2.9 percentage points larger than men’s increase of 9.9 percentage points. One reason for this disparity is that women account for 74% of employment in high contact occupations (e.g. retail, personal services) that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. An even more important factor was childcare, as many schools and daycares shut down; 21% of children in the U.S. lived with a single mother in 2017, and among married households, mothers provide more than 60% of total childcare.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources:
Econofact is partnering with Gigafact–an initiative focused on countering misinformation and spreading facts.