Our Chicago: Why women who left work during COVID-19 pandemic have not returned
CHICAGO (WLS) -- In short, more women than men left the workplace during the pandemic and many have not returned. Sharmili Majmudar, the executive vice president of policy and organizational impact with Women Employed explained why.
"The availability of childcare continues to be a really significant issue. About a third of the childcare workforce left the industry during the pandemic because their childcare center closed or because they took another job or retired. And the childcare industry has only attracted back two thirds of those workers," Majmudar said. "Some companies are kind of really trying to reset back to the status quo of pre-pandemic. And others that are really utilizing all of the lessons learned during the pandemic to create more inclusive workplaces. But I think the important thing to realize is that even with something like a hybrid system it's not simply a difference in work location, it's a cultural shift. And with any cultural shift, it can create barriers and challenges and sometimes particularly for women and people of color."
The unemployment rate among Black women, is higher than other women.
Our Chicago Part 2
"The most recent BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) that that number jumped up to 6.1% in February. While unemployment either dropped or remained the same for almost every group by race or ethnicity Black women still continue to face an uphill battle," said Felicia Davis Blakley, president and CEO of the Chicago Foundation For Women. "And this it partly because Black workers have faced some discrimination in the workforce for a very long time. And for Black women in particular there are compounding inequities of the gender pay gap as well as those racial inequities really have driven that number further."
In 2021, the Chicago Foundation for Women created the SHEcovery and part of that effort is getting women back to work.
"It's a commitment from Chicago Foundation for Women to identify, uplift, fund and advocate for and support more equitable systems to really insure that women and their families emerge from the pandemic stronger than before," Blakley said.
It includes four key strategies: Getting women back to work because they continue to be the hardest hit by the pandemic. Secondly, addressing the eviction crisis. Third, care for the caregivers. And finally, demanding an anti-racist healthcare system.
