2021, Stefania Albanesi, "Gender Disparities in Labor Market Impact of the COVID-19 Recession"

Historically, the employment rate for men has fallen more during recessions than that for women, largely because men are more likely to work in cyclical industries. The COVID-19 recession has been different. Women account for a disproportionate share of the workers in the industries that have been most affected by the pandemic-induced economic downturn, and they have met a greater share of the increased demand for at-home child care that resulted from school and daycare center closures. As a result, employment levels among women, particularly those with young childen, have fallen relative to the levels for other groups in the past year. NBER Research Associate Stefania Albanesi of the University of Pittsburgh, in joint research with Jiyeon Kim of the Korea Development Institute, explores these labor market disparities. Albanesi summarized their findings in the video above. An archive of NBER videos on pandemic-related topics may be found here.