Is there a fact that seems obvious to you, but when you share it with someone else, they are stunned? Here’s mine: Women habitually and disproportionately suffer during economic downturns because of centuries of pent-up inequity.
Even before the pandemic, women had less money coming into their wallets because of the gender pay gap and more money going out via the pink tax and student loans. Then COVID-19 came and eviscerated more than three decades of hard-won gains for women and the economy. Now women are realizing inflation is not gender neutral.
At this point, the question that matters is not whether we will slip into a recession. Rather, we should start figuring out what we’ll do to ensure women and the millions of families that depend on them for their financial security aren’t swept away when the tide goes out.
