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Short-Term Strategies for Addressing the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women's Workforce Participation
Pages 1-15

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From page 1...
... This rapid expert consultation identifies strategies that state and local decision makers can use to assist in short-term recovery efforts for women whose employment status and work experiences have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes strategies both for supporting caregiving responsibilities and career development.
From page 2...
... Alternatively, female workers deemed essential workers and those with caregiving responsibilities faced burdens of too much work, due to school closures and expanded caregiving responsibilities, adding to the overall burden absorbed by many women. Drawing on social, behavioral, and economic sciences this document will identify actionable guidance that state and local government decision-makers can use to assist in short-term recovery efforts for women whose employment status and work experiences were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
From page 3...
... , and helps explain why school and childcare closures resulting from measures to contain COVID-19 led to a disproportionate decrease in the labor force participation of mothers of young children. Moreover, results of a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center show that among mothers and fathers who kept their jobs during the pandemic, mothers bore a larger share of childcare responsibility, with 36 percent saying they had a great deal of childcare responsibilities in addition to their paid employment while working from home, compared with only 16 percent of 4 These data are based on the Current Population Survey (CPS)
From page 4...
... About 47 percent of working mothers responding to the same survey reported taking unpaid sick leave because their child's school or daycare center was closed. Women also reported missing work and reducing workhours because of school closures and caregiving responsibilities (Ranji, Long, and Salgnicoff, 2020)
From page 5...
... The strategies are grouped into two categories: those that broadly support caregiving responsibilities, and those that specifically support women's workforce and career development. Supporting Caregiving Responsibilities Provide Direct Financial Support for Women and Their Families States can provide targeted support for those women who have lost their jobs or decreased their work hours because of increased caregiving responsibilities caused by school or childcare closures due to the pandemic.
From page 6...
... . Introduce Family-Supportive Policies Family-supportive policies and practices can, in the short term, enable women with dependent caregiving demands, including women with childcare needs, women with school age children or women caring for older relatives, to continue or return to work.
From page 7...
... . Supporting Workforce and Career Development Invest in Workforce Development and Education Targeted at Women To bolster recovery efforts in the short term, decision makers can invest in workforce development programs -- such as courses that facilitate remote or telework by boosting computer skills -- designed to assist women who want to return to work or change professions.
From page 8...
... . State and local government decision makers have the opportunity to use available pandemic recovery funds to increase women's access to trades jobs, provide women with more information about the quality of these jobs, and increase their access to apprenticeships in which they are paid while learning their trades -- all with a focus on equity and decreasing barriers to access for Black and Hispanic women (Childers et al., 2021)
From page 9...
... Mental health support can help employees who have suffered significant stress and disruption as a result of the pandemic and may be a tool for helping to retain women workers impacted by these mental health impacts who are considering dropping out of the labor force. The Alabama Workforce Stabilization Program, for example, provides mental health training to employers so they can identify and support employees with mental health and substance use needs.17 CONCLUSION Federal recovery funds targeted to states and local governments provide opportunities for policy makers to take short-term actions to mitigate some of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's workforce participation.
From page 10...
... . The effects of paid family leave in California on labor market outcomes.
From page 11...
... . Reducing maternal labor market detachment: A role for paid family leave.
From page 12...
... . Child care and parent labor force participation: A review of the research literature.
From page 13...
... . Labor force statistics from the current population survey.
From page 14...
... , Georgetown University; Dominique Brossard, University of Wisconsin–Madison; Janet Currie, Princeton University; Michael Hout, New York University; Arati Prabhakar, Actuate; Adrian Raftery, University of Washington; and Jennifer Richeson, Yale University. We extend gratitude to the staff of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, in particular to Emily P
From page 15...
... , Georgetown University DOMINIQUE BROSSARD, University of Wisconsin–Madison JANET CURRIE, Princeton University MICHAEL HOUT, New York University ARATI PRABHAKAR, Actuate ADRIAN E RAFTERY, University of Washington JENNIFER RICHESON, Yale University Staff: MONICA N


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