COVID-19 and Recovery Response
As the pandemic enters its third year and the nation turns to recovery, the Institute for Women’s Policy Research is committed to amplifying and addressing the challenges women face. IWPR’s new research provides insights and recommendations for policymakers to help meet the urgent and long-term needs of women, their families, and their communities.
Young Women Are Dropping Out of School and Work. Is Caregiving the Culprit?
By Alisha Haridasani Gupta A year into the pandemic, there are signs that the American economy is stirring back to life, with a falling unemployment rate and a growing number of people back at work. Even mothers — who left their jobs in droves in the last year in large part because of increased caregiving duties — are slowly re-entering the work force. But young Americans — particularly women 16 to 24 — are living an altogether different reality, with [...]
Young Women in the “She-cession”: Centering the Experience of Young Women of Color
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated deep-seated inequalities in the society, with communities of color and low-wage workers who are disproportionately women, racial minorities, and young workers bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s health and economic impact. Since the beginning of the pandemic, scholars and activists have called attention to the “intersectional vulnerabilities” laid bare by the pandemic. An intersectional perspective highlights how various structural inequalities interconnect and shape the unique experiences of groups situated differently on the “matrix of domination.” [...]
New IWPR Report Highlights the Systemic Challenges Young Women of Color Are Facing in the COVID-19 Pandemic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 6, 2021 Contact: Erin Weber | weber@iwpr.org | (646) 719-7021 Washington, D.C. – A new study, Out of Work, Taking on Care: Young Women Face Mounting Challenges in the “She-cession" from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research shows that longstanding inequities in access to quality jobs and affordable care, along with uneven caregiving responsibilities, create unique challenges for young women of color in the pandemic recession. Young women (aged 16 to 24) lost more than [...]
Biden’s COVID Relief Plan Is a Huge Deal for Women. Here’s How.
By Keya Vakil As the coronavirus pandemic wrecked the economy last March, Maria Lopez—like millions of many other Americans—lost her job. The travel and leisure sectors came to a screeching halt, and Lopez, 53, was furloughed from her job as a room attendant at the Westin Hotel in downtown Phoenix. She qualified for unemployment benefits, but the impact of losing work was still devastating for Lopez and her family. “It was very difficult for all of us to be able [...]
A year into COVID, child care issues still affect mothers’ employment
By Meghan McCarty Carino The economic downturn during the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate effect on women when it comes to job losses, and in particular mothers with young kids, according to a new report from the Brookings Institution. Industries that employ a lot of women, like retail, have been among the hardest hit by job losses. The report found more than 1 in 10 mothers of young children had left a job, said Lauren Bauer, a fellow at [...]
What the American Jobs Plan Will Mean for the Care Economy
On Wednesday afternoon, President Joe Biden traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to unveil his $2 trillion plan to boost the economy and rebuild infrastructure across America. The sweeping proposal, called the American Jobs Plan, is part of President Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda and will tackle everything from the ongoing climate crisis to job creation to improving infrastructures like roads, bridges, and highways. At least $400 billion will be set aside for the “caregiving economy,” with major investments in our child and [...]
