The Shecession: Women Face Staggering Job and Income Losses Amid the Pandemic's Economic Crisis

As Democrats in Congress push forward on passing President Joe Biden's sweeping $1.9 trillion stimulus package, many experts say measures to combat the economic fallout from COVID-19 must address the pandemic's disproportionate impact on women — especially women of color. Women in the U.S. lost 5.5 million jobs in the first 10 months of the pandemic, nearly 1 million more job losses than men, and, combined with increased responsibilities for caregiving at home, are experiencing a "shecession," according to researcher C. Nicole Mason.

"Women have been disproportionately impacted by job and income losses during the pandemic and during this economic downturn," says Mason, who is president and CEO of the Institute for Women's Policy Research, a leading voice on pay equity, economic policies and research impacting women. "The reason for this is because women are overrepresented in the hardest-hit sectors: service, leisure/hospitality, education and healthcare services."