Understanding the economic impact of COVID-19 on women
Despite widespread reports of a “she-cession,” most women managed to keep their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests a paper to be discussed at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity on March 24. That was a mixed blessing, however, because women—much more so than men—bore the brunt of caring for children and elderly parents.
“Far more mothers, and other women who are caregivers, have been stressed, frustrated, and anxious because they did not leave their jobs than have been forced to exit the workforce or cut back their hours,” Claudia Goldin of Harvard University writes in Understanding the Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Women.
Usually, recessions affect male employment more than female employment because more men work in cyclically sensitive sectors such as manufacturing and construction, while more women work in usually more-stable service sectors. But the pandemic recession of 2020 hit services…
