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The Evolving Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gender Inequality in the U.S. Labor Market: The COVID Motherhood Penalty

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  • Robert W. Fairlie
  • Kenneth Couch
  • Huanan Xu

Abstract

We explore whether COVID-19 disproportionately affected women in the labor market using CPS data through the end of 2020. We find that male-female gaps in the employment-to-population ratio and hours worked for women with school-age children have widened but not for those with younger children. Triple-difference estimates are consistent with most of the reductions observed for women with school-age children being attributable to additional child care responsibilities (the “COVID motherhood penalty”). Conducting decompositions, we find women had a greater likelihood to telework, higher education levels and a less-impacted occupational distribution, which all contributed to lessening negative impacts relative to men.

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  • Robert W. Fairlie & Kenneth Couch & Huanan Xu, 2021. "The Evolving Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Gender Inequality in the U.S. Labor Market: The COVID Motherhood Penalty," NBER Working Papers 29426, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29426
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    1. Mariana Viollaz & Mauricio Salazar-Saenz & Luca Flabbim & Monserrat Bustelo & Mariano Bosch, 2022. "The COVID-19 Pandemic in Latin American and Caribbean countries: The Labor Supply Impact by Gender," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0296, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    2. Price, Brendan & Wasserman, Melanie, 2022. "The Summer Drop in Female Employment," CEPR Discussion Papers 17354, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Juan Duran-Vanegas, 2022. "Gender Gaps in the Labor Market Effects of COVID-19: Evidence for Mexico," Trinity Economics Papers tep0422, Trinity College Dublin, Department of Economics, revised May 2022.
    4. Issehnane Sabina & Moulin Léonard, 2024. "In the Eye of the Storm: The Disrupted Career Paths of Young People in the Wake of COVID-19," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 24(2), pages 565-596, April.
    5. Sunoong Hwang & Heeju Shin, 2023. "Gender Gap in Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea: A Decomposition Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, January.
    6. Léonard Moulin & Mara Soncin, 2023. "Persistent and Gender-Unequal Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Outcomes in Italy," Working Papers 277, French Institute for Demographic Studies.
    7. Joseph Richardson, 2023. "Health Risks and Labour Supply," Working Papers 379420583, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    8. Wichmann, Bruno & Wichmann, Roberta, 2022. "COVID-19 and Indigenous health in the Brazilian Amazon," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    9. Bratti, Massimiliano & Brunetti, Irene & Corvasce, Alessandro & Maida, Agata & Ricci, Andrea, 2024. "Did COVID-19 (permanently) raise the demand for "teleworkable" jobs?," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1415, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    10. Pažický Martin, 2023. "The Effects of Social Distancing Measures on COVID-19 Spreads in European Countries," Review of Economic Perspectives, Sciendo, vol. 23(2), pages 105-158, June.
    11. Inés Berniell & Leonardo Gasparini & Mariana Marchionni & Mariana Viollaz, 2023. "The role of children and work-from-home in gender labor market asymmetries: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 1191-1214, December.
    12. Kairon Shayne D. Garcia & Benjamin W. Cowan, 2022. "The Impact of U.S. School Closures on Labor Market Outcomes during the COVID-19 Pandemic," NBER Working Papers 29641, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Benjamin Hansen & Joseph J. Sabia & Jessamyn Schaller, 2022. "Schools, Job Flexibility, and Married Women's Labor Supply," NBER Working Papers 29660, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Kozhaya, Mireille, 2022. "The double burden: The impact of school closures on labor force participation of mothers," Ruhr Economic Papers 956, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    15. Jon D. Samuels, 2023. "Introducing Demographic Labor Market Data into the U.S. National Accounts," BEA Papers 0118, Bureau of Economic Analysis.
    16. Erick Rangel González & Irving Llamosas-Rosas & Sara Hutchinson Tovar, 2024. "Analysis of the initial effects of COVID-19 on jobs affiliated to IMSS, at the national and regional level, by sex and age groups," Working Papers 2024-08, Banco de México.
    17. Despina Gavresi & Anastasia Litina & George Mavropoulos & Sofia Tsitou, 2024. "The Role of Gender and Family Norms on the COVID-19 Spread in Europe," Discussion Paper Series 2024_06, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Jun 2024.
    18. Osuna-Gomez, Daniel, 2023. "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on post-great recession entrants: Evidence from Mexico," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    19. Lafuente, Cristina & Ruland, Astrid & Santaeulàlia-Llopis, Raül & Visschers, Ludo, 2023. "The effects of Covid-19 on couples’ job tenures: Mothers have it worse," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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