KANSAS CITY – The Women’s Foundation today issued the following statement regarding new Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that the unemployment rate among women has increased to the highest rate on record. At 16.2 percent, women’s unemployment in April was nearly three points higher than men’s. This is the first time women have experienced an unemployment rate in the double digits since BLS began reporting data by gender in 1948.
“These alarming numbers confirm the warning signs our data identified early on and underscore the urgency of implementing policies that will support women and families during this difficult time,” said Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of the Women’s Foundation. “Women are experiencing an unemployment crisis unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes, with low-income women and women of color shouldering a disproportionate share of the burden. Now more than ever, policies like paid family leave are urgently needed to help women and families weather and recover from this unprecedented crisis.”
Last month the Women’s Foundation and mySidewalk released new state-specific data and an interactive online dashboard demonstrating how women in Missouri and Kansas are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the key findings:
In Missouri and Kansas, nearly 8 in 10 healthcare professionals are women, slightly higher than the national average. Nationwide, women make up 75.3% of the healthcare workforce. In Missouri and Kansas, the percentage rises to 77.7% and 77.8% respectively.
Despite being the foundation of our healthcare response to the coronavirus, women are still paid less than men in many healthcare occupations. For example, women registered nurses in Missouri and Kansas make just 77 cents and 80 cents, respectively, for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.
Women in Missouri and Kansas also make up a majority of the service-sector employees that are being hit hard by the economic fallout of the virus. While women are 56.4% of all service-sector workers in the U.S. overall, that number rises to 57.7% in Missouri and 59.2% in Kansas.
Missouri has a higher share of women-owned small business owners than the national average. Women own 8.6% of firms nationwide, but 10.1% in Missouri and 7.6% in Kansas.
In Missouri and Kansas, 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 families, respectively, are single mother households.
Women in both states are less likely to be uninsured than men with 9 percent of women in Missouri and 8.3 percent of women in Kansas lacking health insurance.
Key policy recommendations:
Paid family and medical leave: Paid family and medical leave would allow people to take time off to care for a child or loved-one, or seek treatment for an illness, without sacrificing their income. The Women’s Foundation, which helped secure paid parental leave to more than 100,000 state employees in Missouri and Kansas, is advocating for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave at 100% pay for all part-time and full-time workers.
Gender pay equity: The gender pay gap makes women even more vulnerable to economic downturns because they are paid less than their male counterparts. The Women’s Foundation advocates for salary history bans and funded pay negotiation workshops through AAUW to help close the pay gap and promote equal pay for equal work.
Occupational licensing reform: The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the need for professional licenses to be more transferable and flexible, especially for medical professionals. The Women’s Foundation research has found that occupational licensing, while intended to protect the safety and well-being of the public, can often create unnecessary barriers for women entrepreneurs by restricting entry and re-entry into professions, reducing employment, and creating economic inequity.
Today’s report builds on previous research the Women’s Foundation has conducted in both Missouri and Kansas on the challenges and disparities facing women in both states. As part of its mission to use research and data to inform solutions and get results for women and families, the Women’s Foundation has commissioned numerous studies to identify areas of concern for women that require policy solutions.
For more information visit: http://www.womens-foundation.org/research
About the Women’s Foundation
The Women’s Foundation’s mission is to advance all women’s economic and civic leadership. We envision a world where all women are empowered to strengthen America’s economy and democracy.
About mySidewalk
mySidewalk is a city intelligence platform that helps analysts track, analyze, and communicate progress on department and community-wide goals. Their mission is to empower city leaders and the public with the most complete, clear, and real-time understanding of community data so they can improve and innovate together. You work hard for your data. What’s it doing for you? To learn more, visit the mySidewalk home page.