It has been 5 years since the country shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When nearly 12 million women became unemployed, the shutdown was called the “shecession.” Back then, I tweeted about the disparity in unemployment between women.
April’s unemployment rates show how women have “recovered” since the pandemic. The unemployment rate for Black women is higher than it was in March 2020, but for Hispanic and White women, it is lower (see Graph 1).
Graph 1. Employment Rates for Women March 2020, March 2025, and April 2025
Source: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, created via the Bureau of Labor Statistics One Search Tool.
As data from federal, state, and local governments downsizing becomes available, the recovery women have made since COVID may be lost. Graph 2 shows that Black women may already be losing.
Graph 2. Employment Rates for Women December 2024 and January thru April 2025
Source: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, created via the Bureau of Labor Statistics One Search Tool.
