Coronavirus: Why Women Have Suffered More Unemployment Than Men
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your Money Briefing for Friday, May 15th. I'm J.R. Whelan for The Wall Street Journal.
How did women's workforce participation change just before the pandemic?
Just before the pandemic began, women overtook men in the U.S. workforce for the first time in a decade. Now, with lockdowns forcing layoffs across the country, women are losing their jobs more often than men.
labor force participation among married women normally increases during recessions because women who were out of the labor force tend to enter the workforce to help supplement their husband or male partner's lost income. But that likely will not happen during this economic crisis because the hit to predominantly female jobs has been so extreme.
That's Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Cheney. Coming up, she'll explain the high economic consequences of women falling out of the workforce.
More than 36 million Americans say they've lost their job during the pandemic, and women are seeing the worst of it.
Which industries saw the steepest April job losses for women?
Last week, the Labor Department said the unemployment rate among women was 16.2% in April, compared with just 13.5% for men. Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Cheney is with us to explain what's going on. So Sarah, before the coronavirus, women in the workplace had achieved an historic milestone.
At the end of last year, women had overtaken men as the majority of all U.S.
What job characteristics make women's roles more vulnerable to COVID-19 layoffs?
payrolls, but that sharply reversed due to the coronavirus pandemic. April job losses were really steep in industries where women account for more than half of all workers. That includes things like education and healthcare.
Now, what is it about the nature of the jobs women hold that contribute to the high level of joblessness?
Women tend to be in occupations that are really vulnerable to the pandemic. So they're in jobs oftentimes that require close personal contact and cannot be done very easily remotely.
Which groups of women have been hit hardest by pandemic job losses?
And a study by a University of Pittsburgh professor found that women account for about 77% of workers in jobs. these high-contact, inflexible occupations. So think things like, you know, food preparation jobs or health care support, personal service, a massage therapist, for instance.
Why could women's unemployment have long-term economic consequences?
And some segments of the population among women have been hit harder than others.
Black and Hispanic women are more likely than Asian and white women to work in these lower paying service sector jobs that are really vulnerable to the pandemic. About 30% of both black and Hispanic women held service sector jobs in 2018, according to the Labor Department, and that compares with about 20% of whites and Asian women.
Now, why does unemployment among women carry such high economic consequences?
Beyond the regular effects of unemployment that we see in terms of it just being very hard for people, you know, psychologically, etc., there's also sort of these economic consequences. So labor force participation among married women increases. normally increases during recessions because women who were out of the labor force tend to enter the workforce to help supplement their husband or male partner's lost income. But that likely will not happen during this economic crisis because the hit to predominantly female jobs has been so extreme.
And for some women, getting back into the workforce could be a struggle.
You think about sort of the child care situation, the pandemic really makes things difficult for women. There's a study by the Institute for Women's Policy Research that shows that unemployed women in particular tend to log longer hours for housework and just child care at home than jobless men do.
All right. That's Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah Cheney. Sarah, thanks for coming on the show.
Thanks so much for having me, JR.
And that's your Money Briefing. I'm JR Whelan for The Wall Street Journal.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:10
2
How did women's workforce participation change just before the pandemic?
0:10–1:14
3
Which industries saw the steepest April job losses for women?
1:14–1:40
4
What job characteristics make women's roles more vulnerable to COVID-19 layoffs?
1:40–2:19
5
Which groups of women have been hit hardest by pandemic job losses?
2:19–2:43
6
Why could women's unemployment have long-term economic consequences?
2:43–4:42
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from WSJ Your Money Briefing
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