State officials, policymakers, and leading academics virtually met Friday morning to discuss the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on women and offer policy solutions, during the New Jersey Treasurer’s symposium on COVID, women, and the economy.
Partly inspired by NJ Advance Media’s reporting on the pandemic’s impact on women, the event featured speakers on two panels, ranging from academics, legislators, and members of Gov. Phil Murphy’s cabinet, along with stories from regular New Jersey women.
“There’s an old African proverb that the hand that rocks the cradle guides the nation, and women were called to the front in order to guide the nation through rocking that cradle,” Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver said in her opening remarks.
Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio, who moderated the symposium, noted women made up more than half the state’s paid workforce prior to the pandemic.
“The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women, driving millions out of the workforce at much higher rates than men, and creating ripple effects that will be felt for years to come,” Muoio said.
