COVID 19 and Recovery Response
In these unprecedented times, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is committed to communicating and addressing the challenges women are facing. IWPR’s new research outlines how policymakers can address the immediate and long term needs of women, their families, and their communities in policy responses to the pandemic.
Ending the extra $600 federal benefit will harm ‘vast majority’ of unemployed workers, especially women and people of color
By Alicia Adamczyk If Congress decides not to extend the extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits past its July 31 end date, the “vast majority” of unemployed workers will be “harmed” without it, according to the House Ways and Means Committee. While workers of all genders, races, ages and income levels will see a reduction in benefits, women, people of color and younger workers will be hit especially hard if the benefit is not extended. Those groups have have lost [...]
Women net more jobs than men post shutdown, but remain disproportionately impacted by overall losses.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lea Woods | 202-785-5100 | woods@iwpr.org As the economy reopens and re-hiring begins, unemployment rates remain high for Black and Latina women, and younger workers. Washington, DC — Most recent employment data show steady declines in unemployment for both women and men. Women gained a majority (59.9 percent) of the 4.8 million new jobs added to payroll, but sustained 8 million (54.7 percent) of the 14.6 million jobs lost since February. Since the start of the Pandemic, women [...]
Economy Adds More Jobs for Women Than Men, But Women Still 8 Million Jobs-on-Payroll Below February and Majority of All Who Lost Jobs
The economy added 4.8 million to non-farm payroll employment, according to the latest U.S. Bureau Employment Situation Release. Yet, while women gained the majority of new job, they continue to lag further behind men in terms of getting back to pre-COVID 19 employment levels.
Holding Up Half the Sky: Mothers as Workers, Primary Caregivers, & Breadwinners During COVID-19
In the United States, women now make up more than 50 percent of the workforce, reflecting growth in health care, education, and service sectors over the last decade. The decline of the wages and real earnings of all workers over time coupled with the rise in cost of living expenses, such as housing, means that the income and earnings of women are critical to the overall economic security and wellbeing of families.
Women Gain Disproportionately Fewer Jobs in May, and Face Disproportionately Higher Job Losses since February
DOWNLOAD REPORT As the Economy Starts to Grow Again, Job Growth and Unemployment Continue to Differ Strongly by Gender, Race, and Ethnicity As the economy has started to add jobs again in May, strong gender differences remain. The U.S. Bureau of Labor’s June Employment Situation Release shows a 2.5 million increase in nonfarm payroll employment; of these fewer than half, 45.6 percent or 1.1 million jobs, went to women. Overall, the number of workers on payroll is still 19.6 million [...]
Women Were Making Historic Strides in the Workforce. Then the Pandemic Hit.
BY EMILY BARONE Women have been affected across the board, losing jobs at disproportionate rates in most industries and returning to the workforce slower than their male colleagues—even in sectors where employment levels have been essentially gender neutral. In retail, for instance, women held 50% of pre-COVID jobs. But they suffered 60% of the industry’s losses through April and accounted for only 49% of the gains in May. Similarly, in professional and business services, where women represented 46% of the industry, [...]