
Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.
By Alexandra Kelley
Data released on Friday from the U.S. Department of Labor showed a disturbing setback for women in the workforce; of the 140,000 jobless claims reported in December, women accounted for all of the job losses recorded that month.
Payroll employment reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and analyzed by CNN reveals that women suffered all of the 156,000 job losses, while their male counterparts gained 16,000.
Beneath this gender disparity was another problematic difference in job loss; Black and Latinx women lost more jobs in December than their white female counterparts.
Notably, both men and women have lost scores of jobs since the onset of the pandemic. This recent data reflects that men attained 16,000 jobs while women saw none — emphasizing the net gain men had whereas women in the workforce saw none.

Join us for IWPR’s 2026 Power+ Summit, The Power Grid: Driving Gender Equity Forward, taking place September 28–29 in Detroit, MI.
Together, we will spark bold ideas, share breakthroughs, and shape the future of gender equity.