The issues the paper explored include: women were 24% more likely to permanently lose their jobs because of the pandemic; women cut their hours or left the workforce at three to four times the rate of men; and full-time working mothers’ median annual earnings are 29% lower than working fathers’ pay.
People voluntarily leaving their jobs during the pandemic has been called the “Great Resignation.” The national quit rate, not counting retirements, hit a record 2.9% in August 2021. At one point,In January, the national rate of Americans voluntarily leaving their jobs was 2.8%,The quit rate has been driven by women, according to a recent analysis by
The chamber of commerce, TARRA and MSU Denver researchers Lynann “Annie” Butler and Cate Hill held a series of discussions between May and October of 2021 with business executives, government officials, small-business owners and employees. The discussions helped shape about 90 recommendations, covering such areas as child care, finance, salaries and benefits, health care, job training, mentorship and general workplace practices.
“We were lucky in that my husband had a job where we could make it work until I figured out what I wanted to do next,” Schmer said. The grandparents helped out and Schmer’s husband worked from home. Schmer said for her and other working parents, the lack of adequate child care is a serious hindrance. She said Congress’ failure to act on the Biden administration’s proposal to make child care more accessible and affordable “feels like a betrayal.”