Women hardest hit as U.S. unemployment soars
As the economy continued to tank amid the coronavirus pandemic, job losses rose to more than 700,000 in the month of March—and women were disproportionately affected.
Out of every 10 jobs cut in March, women lost six of them, reported the Washington-based Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Hispanic women in particular are suffering; their unemployment rate rose to 6 percent, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics.
Across almost all sectors, but particularly leisure and hospitality—in which women hold the majority of jobs—women are feeling the brunt of the hit. With a nearly countrywide lockdown, people aren’t taking trips or going out to eat: Women’s jobs in restaurants, bars, and hotels dropped by 261,000, while men lost 181,000. The sector accounted for more than half of all jobs lost in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The industry had employed nearly 17 million people by the end of 2019. About 30 percent of hotel workers were Hispanic, CNN reported.
Unlike now, men were laid off first during the 2008 recession because of cuts to production sectors (including manufacturing and construction), said C. Nicole Mason, president and CEO of IWPR.
“This time around, because women are over-represented in the service sector, they will experience disproportionately higher unemployment and job loss compared to men,” Mason said. Service-sector jobs generally offer lower wages and fewer benefits, “which makes women more economically vulnerable.”
As of January, for only the second time in history, women held a little more than half the jobs in the U.S.. In December 2019, women gained 95 percent of net jobs added, NPR reported. The first time was briefly during the Great Recession, when men went through more layoffs early on.
Even though both women’s and men’s jobs are being severely affected during the pandemic, in four sectors (educational and health services, financial services, construction, information), IWPR said, women lost jobs while men gained. In three sectors (wholesale trade, mining and logging, and “other services”), men lost more than women.
The only area in which both men and women gained employment was in government, which may be due to the addition of census-related jobs, although the Census Bureau announced on March 28 that it would be suspending its field operations at least until April 15 because of the coronavirus.
U.S. job losses related to the pandemic could total 47 million, the Federal Reserve estimated on March 30. The unemployment rate, it said, may soar as high as 32 percent.
