HOURLY NEWS

NPR 24 Hour Program Stream

LISTEN On Air Now
LIVE
PLAYLIST

DONATE

Enough Already: How The Pandemic Is Breaking Women

Stuck-At-Home Moms: The Pandemic's

Devastating Toll On Women
October 28, 2020 · 7:01 AM ET

PALLAVI GOGOI

The number of women in the workforce overtook men for a brief period earlier this year. But the uncomfortable truth is that

in their homes, women are still fitting into stereotypical roles of doing the bulk of cooking, cleaning and parenting. It's

another form of systemic inequality within a 21st century home that the pandemic is laying bare.

Malte Mueller/fStop/Getty Images

Women are seeing the fabric of their lives unravel during the pandemic. Nowhere is
that more visible than on the job.
In September, an eye-popping 865,000 women left the U.S. workforce — four times
more than men.

The coronavirus pandemic is wreaking havoc on households, and women are bearing
the brunt of it. Not only have they lost the most jobs from the beginning of the
pandemic, but they are exhausted from the demands of child care and housework —
and many are now seeing no path ahead but to quit working.

ENOUGH ALREADY: HOW THE PANDEMIC IS BREAKING WOMEN

'Incredibly Scary': Single Moms Fear Falling Through Holes In Pandemic Safety Net

Women have made great strides over the years: More women than men are enrolled in
college, in medical schools and law schools.

The number of women in the workforce even overtook men for a brief period of three
months through February this year.

But the uncomfortable truth is that in their homes, women are still fitting into
stereotypical roles of doing the bulk of cooking, cleaning and parenting. It's another
form of systemic inequality within a 21st century home that the pandemic is laying
bare.
 Women Are Leaving The Workforce In Greater Numbers Than
Men During The Pandemic
More than 850,000 left in September alone

Men Women

0M

-865,000

-1,705,000
-1M

-2M

-3M -2,651,000

-4M

-5M
March-Sept. Sept. alone
Notes

Data only for men and women 20 and older. Figures are seasonally adjusted.

Source: BLS

Credit: Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

Already, their parents are getting sick and dying. Their kids are falling behind. So
along with doing everything else, working becomes impossible.

"The problem is that right now a lot of women don't really have choices, right?" says
Martha Gimbel, a labor economist at the nonprofit initiative Schmidt Futures. "They
can't send their kids to school. Someone has to supervise the learning. Someone has to
deal with the cooking. Someone has to deal with the cleaning, and it's falling onto
them. And so they can't make choices that they want to make because they're being
restricted in all these ways."

Women are back in 1988

The pandemic's female exodus has decidedly turned back the clock by at least a
generation, with the share of women in the workforce down to levels not seen since
1988.

ENOUGH ALREADY: HOW THE PANDEMIC IS BREAKING WOMEN

'My Family Needs Me': Latinas Drop Out Of Workforce At Alarming Rates

A growing, prosperous economy depends on a large and committed workforce, with

women playing a vital role. If women decide to stay on the sidelines, the very
dynamism of the U.S. economy is at risk as many households lose half of their
earnings and productive capacity. This trend could even turn back the clock on gender
equity, with harmful consequences to society and the economy.

Economists are worried.

YOUR MONEY
How Are You Surviving In The Pandemic Economy? Share Your Story

"If not soon reversed, the decline in the participation rate for prime‑age women could
have longer-term implications for household incomes and potential growth," Federal
Reserve Gov. Lael Brainard said in a speech last week. Brainard says if women
continue to remain out of employment, it risks "harming not only the prospects of
these individuals, but also the economy's potential growth rate."

"Mom penalty" vs. the "dad premium"

The gender pay gap is playing a big role — women make 82 cents for every dollar a
man earns. So when couples have to take an economic decision, because women
typically earn less, they are the ones who take the step back.
 Men Are Paid More Than Women At Every Education Level
Average 2019 hourly wages

Men Women

Less than
$15.33
high school

$12.20

High school $20.96

$16.15

Some college $23.58

$18.44

College $39.99

$29.55

Advanced
$52.38
degree

$38.64

$0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50

Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey outgoing rotation group microdata from the U.S. Census

Bureau

Credit: Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR

This "mom penalty" is even higher for women who are better educated and have
higher incomes. In fact, among this group, this step back comes with a "dad premium."
Driven by the biological clock, women take time off or cut back on their hours just as
their careers are taking off, giving men the opportunity to carry on with their work,
move up and earn more.

Buildup of rage in recent years

The pandemic has certainly poked the bear. And the large numbers of women leaving
the workforce seems like a collective cry of anguish, and an anger that is spilling out
into local Facebook groups, Twitter feeds, blog posts and even obituaries.

Part of this stems from recent history, when many women simmered with rage in the
wake of the #MeToo movement, leading to an outpouring of stories of humiliation or
being molested by men. And soon after, millions of women marched the streets after
the last presidential election, seethed during the confirmation of Supreme Court
Justice Brett Kavanaugh and finally grieved the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
who spent a lifetime fighting for women's rights.

And now again, there's a sense of hopelessness and loss of control, which contributes
to the stress and exasperation that is on full display on social media.

"I am tired. And I am angry. Livid in fact. Filled with rage," Selena Laurence writes in
a Medium post. Laurence, mother to a teenage son and a college-going daughter,
writes about being worried about the challenges of protecting them. She recounts how
she gets her entire family tested for the coronavirus when she goes to visit her 80-
year-old father, who is in treatment for cancer. They also quarantine, drive eight hours
and then only interact with her parents outdoors. "It. Is. Exhausting," she says.

What's at stake: Future earnings and the glass ceiling

Women are taking it on the chin, up and down the income spectrum. A large portion of
job losses during the pandemic has come in businesses such as restaurants and hotels,
both sectors with high female employment. Many of them are low-income, and the
impact on their households is devastating.

ENOUGH ALREADY: HOW THE PANDEMIC IS BREAKING WOMEN

Even The Most Successful Women Pay A Big Price In Pandemic

All this reverses years of gains made by women. In 1948, when the Labor Department
started tracking the data, a third of women held jobs, but that number had nearly
doubled by the late 1990s. The ratio of women working has now fallen below 57% for
the first time since 1988.

The scars from this time can linger, especially given the consequences for the financial
stability of women. An employment gap of just one year leads to a 39% decrease in
annual earnings and that increases over time, according to a report from the Institute
for Women's Policy Research. It also reduces women's chances of breaking the glass
ceiling and becoming future leaders in society.

"The problem is that we have a lot of evidence that when you take time out of the labor
force, it can be very difficult to get back in," the economist Gimbel says. "And the other
 aspect of this is you are not then making progress in your career. You are not getting
promoted. You are not building out skills and experience that will cause future
employers to pay you more money."

NPR's Scott Horsley, Stacey Vanek Smith and Andrea Hsu contributed to this report.

women outnumber men in job losses angry moms mom rage female recession

women losing jobs pandemic unemployment job losses

More Stories From NPR

ECONOMY
Even The Most Successful Women Pay A Big Price
ECONOMY
'My Family Needs Me': Latinas Drop Out Of Workforce At Alarming Rates

ECONOMY
These Women Built Careers In Retail. The COVID-19 Crisis Tore Through Their
Stores
BUSINESS
The American Government Once Offered Widely Affordable Child Care ... 77 Years
Ago

ECONOMY
'Incredibly Scary': Single Moms Fear Falling Through Holes In Pandemic Safety Net
BUSINESS
'I Come Up Short Every Day': Couples Under Strain As Families Are Stuck At Home

Popular on NPR.org

HEALTH
How Severe Is Your State's Coronavirus Outbreak?

GLOBAL HEALTH
Coronavirus World Map: We've Now Passed The 100 Million Mark For Infections
MUSIC VIDEOS
Ólafur Arnalds: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

MUSIC VIDEOS
Jack Harlow: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
POLITICS
Biden Administration: Here Are His Cabinet Members And Key Advisers

NPR Editors' Picks

NATIONAL
Asylum-Seekers Are Entering The U.S. Again — But Many More Migrants Are Left
Behind
POLITICS
Senate Democrats Cut Back Planned Unemployment Benefits Extension

GLOBAL HEALTH
Coronavirus FAQ: Does It Make Your Hair Fall Out?
BUSINESS
'It Really Is A Gag Order': California May Limit Nondisclosure Agreements

LAW
Derek Chauvin, Charged With George Floyd's Death, May Face Additional Murder
Charge
ENERGY
Hold That Drill: Why Wall Street Wants Energy Companies To Pump Less Oil, Not
More

Enough Already: How The Pandemic Is Breaking Women

READ & LISTEN CONNECT

Home Newsletters

News Facebook

Arts & Life Twitter

Music Instagram

Podcasts Contact

Programs Help

ABOUT NPR GET INVOLVED

Overview Support Public Radio

Finances Sponsor NPR

People NPR Careers

Press NPR Shop

Public Editor NPR Events

Corrections Visit NPR

terms of use

privacy

your privacy choices

text only

© 2021 npr