Are women destined to be worse off after COVID-19?

National Press Foundation

Camille Busette
March 31, 2021
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COVID-19 = Lower Labor Participation Rates for

Women
Female Labor Force Participation Rate
65
63.9
63
61.9
61
Percentage

59.7
59 58.3
57.8
57 56.3

55

53

51
Feb-20 Feb-21

Black Women White Women Latinas

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
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COVID-19 and Women Who Earn Low Wages =

Lower Income and Higher Stress
• The social networks of low wage women, particularly women of color are different
and less advantageous to accessing opportunities than they are for White men

• Prior to COVID-19, women were 2/3 of low wage work force

• 54% of Black women and 64% of Hispanic or Latina women were low wage workers

• Women in low wage leisure and hospitality are hardest hit by COVID-19 job losses.
Black women and Latinas are disproportionately represented in the leisure and
hospitality sectors

• Women represent over 60 percent (34 million) of essential workers. Women of color
are disproportionately represented in frontline jobs and comprise more than half of
the workers in critical but low wage service fields such as housekeeping, personal
care services, and nursing assistance

• Across the board, women bore the brunt of additional COVID-19 family care
responsibilities, but low wage women were 3.5 times more likely to drop out of the
workforce because of a reason related to COVID-19

• Women essential workers earning a low wage not only increased their caregiving
responsibilities, but they were also put at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. When
they had to take time off, these women lost wages
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Possible post-COVID scenarios for women

earning low wages
Most likely Less likely

• Slower return to work than • Current jobs pay living

men due to uneven opening wage
of schools and day care
• Entry into higher paying
• Jobs may have changed, so jobs with benefits (paid
skills maybe be obsolete leave and retirement)

• Long term unemployed find it • Ample and affordable child

hard to re-enter the job care
market

• Wages continue to be low,

particularly in jobs held
predominantly by Black
women and Latinas
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Federal Policy Responses

ARPA 2021 = Stabilization
• Increase and Expansion of the Child Tax Credit for a year
• Funding for schools and day care
• Credits for Paid Sick and Family Leave
• Enhanced SNAP, Medicaid Benefits

Additional Needed
• Permanent Child Tax Credit
• Paid Leave
• Retirement accounts for those who are not offered them at
work
• Retraining
• Investment in Caregiving infrastructure
• Living wage legislation or incentives
• Investment in ample and subsidized child care
• Intentionally focusing on social networks as part of recovery