Protecting Women's Jobs

In a typical “routine” economic recession (not one triggered by a wild card pandemic), the first industries to slow down are male-dominated sectors like construction and manufacturing. A recent study by Northwestern University, however, has found that our current pandemic-prompted recession has the potential to push women, particularly moms, out of the workforce in droves. The numbers already tell a compelling story. In the beginning of January, women made up more than half of the US workforce, for the first time in nearly a decade according to the Wall Street Journal. However, by mid-April fell to levels not seen since the 1980’s. But why is this recession affecting female employment disproportionately to male employment and what are the potential long-term ramifications on the female workforce? Here to answer these questions and to help us understand what could help keep women and moms in the workforce is Gender Justice Professor at Roosevelt University and CEO and Co-founder of Mission Propelle, Annie Warshaw.