Along with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic came an economic recession. In most cases a slowing economy tends to hit male-dominated sectors such as manufacturing and construction the hardest.
However, the lockdowns triggering this current recession have more severely compromised areas such as hospitality, restaurants and retail. The fact these industries tend to have a higher number of female workers raises the question: is the pandemic making the pay gap worse?
Well, yes and no. According to Bloomberg, citing the National Bureau of Economic Research, while the immediate effect has been to sideline more women than men — for a number of reasons — some of the emerging social implications hold the potential to narrow the gap in the future.
Let’s dig into it a bit.
A Different Kind of Recession
In something of a perfect storm, women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 lockdowns. In addition to traditionally female-oriented industries being closed down, kids have been staying home for school. This has increased the need for moms to take up the slack created by the closures of day care centers, kindergartens and grade schools.
As result, while male unemployment increased by 9.9 percent between February and April of 2020, unemployment among women increased by 12.8 percent. In this pandemic-driven recession, construction and manufacturing — more likely to be considered “essential” work — is down by less than it would be during a traditional recessionary period.
Traditional Societal Roles
What’s more, children staying home has placed even more of the child rearing responsibilities on moms. Women were already conducting 60 percent (or three hours more per week than men) of the child rearing duties for children over five. That figure doubled to six hours more each week with a child under the age of five in the household. Outsourcing responsibility for part of the kiddos’ day to nursery school and/or day care simply isn’t possible, so women work less at their jobs and more at raising the kids.
Slimmer Employment Prospects
This further means women are more likely to either stop working altogether, or cut their hours significantly — both of which are detrimental to career advancement down the line. This, according to experts, can mean the gender pay gap could broaden by as many as five percentage points, ultimately making the gap more like 76 cents for every dollar men are paid.
Societal Changes
On the other hand though, a lot of men are stepping into caregiving roles as well, which could have the effect of narrowing the gender gap as things turn around. Working at home affords men more opportunities to participate in the care of their children. Accelerated by the ascendance of telecommuting as a norm rather than an exception, this social shift is expected to contribute to this as well.
More Work Flexibility
Research conducted by Harvard University suggests a solution exists in the form of offering greater flexibility in higher-paying jobs. This would enable both women and men to afford more time to caring for little ones without incurring wage penalties. As it is now, professional women must often work in less demanding fields so they can have time to apportion to the needs of little ones. Now that the pandemic has demonstrated the efficacy of remote work, the possibilities for this are greater in the future.
So yes, the pandemic is currently making the pay gap worse. However solutions adopted to keep business moving during the pandemic could serve to narrow the gap in the future.