Thoughts on the women’s recession: Comparing attitudes about the economy, politics, and families during the pandemic

Thoughts on the Women’s Recession, a new Heldrich Center brief by Sean Simone, Ph.D., examines data from the latest Work Trends survey that suggest that women are more concerned about economically supporting themselves or their families compared to men. They also report a higher amount of stress in their everyday lives. These differences are likely the result of the disproportionate impacts of job loss by women during the pandemic-induced recession. On measures asking about their opinions of the country’s political climate and economic conditions, women and men are statistically the same. However, women are more likely than men to be optimistic that the political parties will work together in the next year to strengthen the economy. Read the brief.

Sean Simone is Director of Research and Evaluation at the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development and Director of the New Jersey Education to Earnings Data System.