The COVID-19 recession exposes inequities driving the gender gap in the workforce
ANGELA YU: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to all aspects of society, and the job market is no exception. Historically, economic downturns have primarily impacted male-dominated industries, causing men to comprise the bulk of unemployment numbers. However, during the pandemic-driven recession, women had a significantly higher chance of leaving the workforce. In fact, between February and April of 2020, female employment rates dropped by 17.9% compared to a 13.9% decrease in male employment rates.
These numbers not only reveal vulnerabilities in female-dominated industries, but also the disproportionate share of childcare and household chores that women are expected to take on. In order to encourage women’s entry and rise in their career fields. Congress must pass wide scale policy reforms such as subsidized childcare costs, and employers must provide persistent professional advocacy on the individual level.
The unique driver of the 2020 recession meant that a different set of industries faced the brunt of job losses. In the past, industries including manufacturing and construction experienced significant downturns during recessions. In contrast, COVID-19 led to a shrinkage of frontline jobs that require direct interaction with the public. The three hardest hit sectors in 2020 were: Accommodation and Food Services, Retail Trade, and Health Care & Social Assistance. All three fields lean moderately to heavily female: the split is 60.9% compared to 33.9% in food services, 56.5% compared to 43.5% for retail, and 76% compared to 24% in health care. Black and Hispanic women are also over-represented in front line industries like retail, making up over 30% of the workforce.
In addition, women have predominantly assumed the role of caretaker after daycares closed and schools moved online. The Center for Global Development reported that women assumed 173 more hours of unpaid child care during the pandemic while men took on only 59 more hours. As a result, women are often the partners who must alter their work hours or give up their careers altogether for unpaid domestic duties.
Fortunately, the economy has seen significant improvements as hard hit industries make a comeback. Women’s wage growth is now outpacing that of men with a 4.4% rise compared to 4.3%. Additionally, the rise of female employees in white collar professions has also shrunk the gender pay gap from 67 cents in 1980 to 83 cents in 2018 for every man’s dollar. One of the main drivers behind this pay gap is the tendency for female workers to take on low paying jobs and work part time jobs. However, a 2021 Bankrate survey shows that this may be changing; 55% of Americans, both women and men, are planning to search for new jobs with a high priority placed on flexibility and greater pay. Companies will hopefully respond by improving employment packages to better attract and retain qualified candidates.
Although more permanent setbacks to the female labor force were averted, the 2020 recession displays the economic vulnerability of women, especially women of color, to unexpected crises. The burden of childcare should not fall overwhelmingly on one gender — yet it still does. This pattern perpetuates the perception of women with children as unreliable employees and limits their promotional opportunities.
Government action could greatly alleviate the circumstances that force women to leave their careers. For example, lowering the rapidly growing costs of childcare would place less pressure on a couple to decide which one must stay at home. President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Plan does include significant support for childcare. The package expands universal preschool to 3 and 4-year olds and places limits on childcare costs dependent on the household income. If the bill passes, families would gain much needed support in the early stages of raising a child.
On the individual level, women are less likely to negotiate for higher paycheck, and instead choose to find new employment when dissatisfied with their salary. A 2020 survey found that 60% of women have never negotiated their salary before while 72% are willing to leave their current position for a higher paying one. Furthermore, research from Carnegie Mellon shows that 57% of male graduates negotiated their salaries compared to 7% of female graduates, which led to a 7.6% higher starting salary. When women advocate for their income, they assert their value to the workplace and set themselves up for future raises.
The 2020 recession merely exacerbated existing challenges that women have faced since they entered into the workforce. A critical step in the recovery process is to assess the root causes and contributing factors of the professional gender gap. This task falls on both policymakers and individual employers and employees; women’s participation in the workforce is crucial to a resilient economy as natural disasters grow more frequent and destructive.