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.
Women have taken a staggering Covid hit. Now they offer the best hopes for the future
By Marianne Schnall On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic. One year later, the world is still struggling with the myriad ways it has impacted our lives and created hardship for so many -- especially women and girls, Black, indigenous and people of color and other marginalized communities. In addition to the medical, economic and social devastation that the pandemic has caused -- including the staggering loss of over 500,000 lives in the United States [...]
One year of the pandemic, as told through the journal entries of 6 women
By Lindsey Sitz and Maya Lin Sugarman It’s been one year since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic. The Lily found six women across the country who kept diaries throughout the last 12 months. Listen as they read their reflections aloud. Susana Bejar is an internal medicine doctor who lost a patient to covid-19. Jackie O'Brien is a college senior who couldn’t celebrate her graduation. C. Nicole Mason, president and chief executive of the Institute for Women’s [...]
Biden’s newly signed rescue plan will help get parents back to work- by supporting child care
By Martha C. White Much of the concern about women’s waning labor force participation during the pandemic has been focused on the burden borne by mothers forced to choose between work and the supervision and education of their young children. Far less attention has been oriented towards the companies and workers within the industry itself, until now. Advocates were cheered by the passage of the $1.9 trillion Covid-relief bill, signed by President Joe Biden on Thursday afternoon. The plan includes [...]
Pushed out by pandemic, women struggle to regain footing in U.S. job market
By Jonnelle Marte and Aleksandra Michalska (Reuters) - Katy McAvoy hoped she would have more time for her job search after her 5-year-old daughter started in-person kindergarten in mid-November after months of virtual learning due to the pandemic. But the school near Grand Rapids, Michigan closed again a week later as COVID-19 infections surged there and across much of the country. The unpredictable schedule made it difficult for McAvoy to find time for interviews and networking or to figure out [...]
COVID-19 Related Long-Term Unemployment Could Lead to Long-Term Scarring, Especially for Women of Color
Almost four in ten unemployed women have now been out of work long-term, for 27 weeks or longer. Between February 2020 and January 2021, the number of unemployed women almost doubled (from 2.7 to 4.8 million), but the number of long-term unemployed more than tripled (from 491,000 to 1.9 million). While the overall rate of unemployment fell slightly in January (to 6.3%), the share of unemployed women who were unemployed for more than half a year increased (to 38.9%). Added [...]
More Than 50% Of Women Say They’ve Cut Back Working Hours Due to Caretaking Responsibilities During the Pandemic
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO of MomsRising and Institute for Women's Policy Research CEO, Dr. C. Nicole Mason, join Cheddar to discuss the long-term impact of the pandemic on women in the workforce. Watch Video