How the Pandemic is Making the Gender Pay Gap Worse
Economists at the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting women harder. While the male unemployment rate increased 9.9 percent between February and April 2020, the female unemployment rate increased by 12.8 percent. Women disproportionately hold in-person service jobs and men are generally more likely to hold jobs that enable them to work remotely. In addition, women are significantly impacted by school and daycare closures as women are increasingly more responsible for childcare at home. Many are now more likely to reduce their work hours or drop out of the labor force entirely. The economists project that the gender wage gap will widen by five percentage points, so that the average female worker will earn about 76 cents for every dollar the average male worker makes.