By Kim Glovas
Women have been hit with unemployment and job insecurity much harder than men during the pandemic.
That was the focus of a Women 100 conference last week hosted by Drexel University’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership.
Women 100 was founded to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the right to vote for women in America, and to continue the work for gender equity.
Close to 900,000 women left the workforce during the pandemic, according to the National Women’s Law Center.
Roberta “Bobbi” Liebenberg, senior partner at Fine, Kaplan and Black in Philadelphia, said the closing of schools and day care centers left the burden on the shoulders of working mothers.
“Both pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, women still continue to have the primary responsibility of child care and elder care, and because of the seemingly non-stop 24-7 work environment,” said Liebenberg.
Nicole Mason, president and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Policy and Research, said male workers suffered more in 2008 when the economy took a dive.
This time, she believes women are taking the hit, saying that the economic situation is not a recession, but a “she-cession.”
“This time around, we’re going to have to do more than just create jobs in production, manufacturing and construction,” said Mason.
“We’re going to have to address the care crisis, because we know that’s what drove women, many women out of the workforce.”
