>> THANK YOU.

>> WOMEN HAVE LOST MORE THAN

FIVE MILLION JOBS SINCE FEBRUARY

2020.

THAT IS ACCORDING TO THE

NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER.

THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC WOMEN

BORN THE BRUNT OF COVID-19'S

IMPACT ON EMPLOYMENT AND THAT

EFFECT HAS BEEN MORE ACUTE AMONG

WOMEN OF COLOR.

JOINING US ON THIS INTERNATIONAL

WOMEN'S DAY TO DISCUSS THE

PANDEMIC'S IMPACT ON WOMEN AND A

PATH FORWARD ARE, SHARMEELEE

MAJMUDAR EXECUTIVE

VICE-PRESIDENT OF POLICY AND

ORGANIZATIONAL IMPACT AT WOMEN

EMPLOYED.

KARINA AYALA-BERMEJO, SENIOR AND

PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE.

AND KARIN NORINGTON REAVES,

C.E.O. OF CHICAGO COOK WORKFORCE

PARTNERSHIP.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

SHARMEELEE MAJMUDAR LET'S START

WITH YOU.

ACCORDING TO THE LAW CENTER

WOMEN'S LABOR FORCE

PARTICIPATION RATE HAS NOT BEEN

THIS LOW SINCE 1988.

WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THE SHE

SESSION HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC

IMPACTED WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE?

>> IT'S BEEN DEVASTATING.

I THINK SOME KEY REASONS FOR

THAT HAVE BEEN THE HIGH

UNEMPLOYMENT RATES THAT ARE

DRIVEN BY OCCUPATIONAL

SEGREGATION THAT IS WOMEN AND

PARTICULARLY WOMEN OF COLOR ARE

OVERREPRESENTED IN SECTORS THAT

HAVE BEEN HARDEST HIT BY THE

PANDEMIC.

AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT THE

FACT THAT WOMEN ARE

OVERWHELMINGLY RESPONSIBLE FOR

CARE.

SO FOR TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN,

FAMILY MEMBERS, ELDERLY.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE SCHOOLS CLOSED

AND CHILDCARE UNAVAILABLE, AND

WHEN YOU ARE ALSO WORKING IN

JOBS THAT OFTEN DON'T HAVE

FLEXIBILITY OR DON'T HAVE

POLICIES SUCH AS PAID SICK LEAVE

ALL OF THIS COMBINES TO PUSH

WOMEN OUT OF THE LABOR FORCE.

>> THIS IMPACT HAS BEEN FELT

ESPECIALLY OF WOMEN OF COLOR N

FEBRUARY 9% OF BLACK WOMEN 20

AND OVER WERE UNEMPLOYED

COMPARED TO 8.5% FOR LATINAS AND

THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE AMONG

WHITE MEN WAS 5.3.

HOW HAS THE CORONAVIRUS IMPACTED

WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE WORKFORCE

IN PARTICULAR?

>> MUCH LIKE SHARMEELEE MAJMUDAR

SAID, THE FACT THAT WE ARE

OVERREPRESENTED IN THE SERVICE

INDUSTRY.

AND AS CAREGIVERS HAS BEEN

DEVASTATING BECAUSE WE LOOK AT

THE INDUSTRIES HARDEST HIT BY

THE PANDEMIC VERSUS HOSPITALITY

AND RETAIL AND TOURISM.

THE SERVICE ORIENTED POSITIONS.

SO THE REAL IMPACT OF THIS HAS

BEEN NOT ONLY THE INABILITY TO

CONTINUE WORKING BUT ALSO THE

NEED TO SUPPORT FAMILIES.

THE OTHER ISSUE IS AROUND THE

CARE GIVING.

IT'S OFTEN SAID THAT WOMEN ARE

PULLED OUT OF THE WORKFORCE

LABOR FORCE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO

GO AND CARE FOR OTHERS WHETHER

IT'S CHILDREN OR PARENTS OR

EXTENDED FAMILY MEMBERS.

SO THE CORONAVIRUS THE IMPACT

UPON THE ECONOMY HAS REALLY JUST

HIT US TWICE AS HARD AS IT'S HIT

ANYONE ELSE THROUGHOUT THE

NATION.

>> KARINA AYALA-BERMEJO WHAT

HAVE YOU SEEN AMONG THE LATINO

COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE IN

CHICAGO?

>> WE KNOW OUR ZIP CODES HAVE

BEEN HARDEST HIT BY COVID AND

WHAT THE LADIES HAVE SHOUTED

OUT.

IT'S THAT OUR COMMUNITIES

SUFFERED BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.

WHEN YOU PUT ON TOP OF THAT,

COVID AND CONCERNS FOR COVID, SO

THE LATINO COMMUNITY WAS NEVER

AFFORDED THE LUXURY TO WORK FROM

HOME.

YOU HAVE WOMEN OF COLOR AT THE

FRONTLINES HOSPITALITY, RETAIL

OR HEALTHCARE.

SO CARING ON THAT BURDEN OF NOT

ONLY BEING FRONTLINE WORKERS AND

NEVER HAVING THE LUXURY OF

WORKING FROM HOME YOU CARRY THAT

BURDEN OF TAKING THAT BACK HOME

WITH YOU.

SO WE ARE GOING INTO OUR HOMES

WITH MULTIGENERATIONAL HOMES,

MULTIPLE IN A FAMILY ENVIRONMENT

AND INCREASING THE RISK OF

COVID.

SO WHAT WE'VE SEEN IMMEDIATELY

WAS A 30% LOSS OF INCOME LOSS OF

JOB.

AND 30% INCREASE OF MENTAL

ILLNESS AND IT'S ONLY BECOME

MORE APPARENT AND IN THE LATINO

COMMUNITY SO SAY I HAVE ANXIETY

OR DEPRESSION IT IS A STIGMA BUT

SOMETHING THAT FOLKS ARE COMING

FORWARD WITH.

IT IS A REALITY THAT WE'RE

FACING.

AND IT'S BEYOND ECONOMICS.

IT'S ONE THAT IS TURNING INTO A

MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS.

>> KARIN NORINGTON REAVES WHAT

BARRIERS REMAINING IN THE

WORKFORCE DO WOMEN FACE THAT ARE

UNIQUE TO THEM AND WHAT ARE THE

RIPPLE EFFECTS OF WOMEN BEING

COUNTED OUT OF THE LABOR FORCE

SO MUCH?

>> SO THE RIPPLE EFFECTS ARE

NUMBER ONE, THAT WE'RE NOT IN

THESE POSITIONS WHERE WE HAVE

THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING AGE TO

WORK REMOTELY.

WE'RE ALSO OFTEN IN A LOT OF

COMMUNITIES WHERE WE DON'T HAVE

THE DIGITAL ACCESS TO THERE IS A

DIGITAL EQUITY COMPONENT THAT

HAS THAT IS A RIPPLE EFFECT

THERE.

THE FACT THAT C.P.S. HAS HAD TO

HAVE MOBILE TRUCKS GO INTO

COMMUNITIES TO BOOST THE WI-FI

SIGNAL SO CHILDREN CAN ACCESS

LEARNING WITH LAPTOPS SO THAT

DIGITAL EQUITY PIECE IS REALLY

IMPORTANT HERE.

ANOTHER RIPPLE EFFECT IS THE

FACT THAT WHEN JOBS ARE

RECOVERED, THE REAL QUESTION

BECOMES WHAT WILL EMPLOYERS DO

TO SHIFT PRACTICE AND

ACCOMMODATE THE FACT THAT WE ARE

WHOLE BEINGS WHEN WE COME TO

WORK WE ARE NOT JUST EMPLOYEES.

WE'RE CAREGIVERS.

WE ARE MOTHERS.

WE ARE DAUGHTERS.

AND THE FACT IS THAT EMPLOYERS

ARE GOING TO HAVE TO SHIFT THEIR

PRACTICES IN ORDER TO

ACCOMMODATE US AS WHOLE BEINGS.

SO THE RIPPLE EFFECT --

>> I WAS GOING TO GET SHARMEELEE

MAJMUDAR IN HERE.

WILL WE SEE WOMEN RETURNING TO

THE WORKFORCE IN THE SAME

NUMBERS?

AND WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT

EXIST AS THEY ARE TRYING TO

RETURN?

>> THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.

I THINK THERE ARE REAL CONCERNS

ABOUT SOME OF THE SECTORS THAT

WE HAVE REFERENCED AND HOW SOON

THEY WILL RETURN WHAT RATE THEY

WILL RETURN.

WE HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT ISSUES

LIKE HOTEL WORKERS HERE IN

CHICAGO BEING TOLD THAT THEY

WON'T BE INVITED BACK EVEN WHEN

THE HOTELS DO HIRE AGAIN EVEN

THOUGH THEY'VE BEEN 10, 20 YEARS

BUILDING UP SENIORITY AND THE

PAY THAT GOES WITH THAT

SENIORITY, AND BENEFITS.

SO THE RETURN TO WORK IS A BIG

CONCERN.

THERE IS A CONCERN OF WHETHER OR

NOT THEY ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE

LOOKING AT OTHER SECTORS SINCE

THE SECTORS MAY NOT BE BRINGING

THE JOBS BACK.

AND AS KARIN WAS TALKING ABOUT

ARE THE JOBS GOING TO BE THE

SAME AS THEY WERE BEFORE WHICH

WEREN'T WORKING FOR A LOT OF

WOMEN.

WHO ARE COBBLING TOGETHER

MULTIPLE PART-TIME JOBS TRYING

TO MAKE ENDS MEET.

OR ARE WE GOING TO SEE A NEW

WORKPLACE THAT ACTUALLY DOES

PROVIDE THE KINDS OF POLICIES

AND SUPPORTS THAT ARE NECESSARY

FOR PEOPLE.

>> I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS ARE

HOPING THE LATEST COVID STIMULUS

BILL WILL HAVE A ROLE IN THIS AS

WELL.

BUT THAT IS WHERE WE HAVE TO

LEAVE IT FOR NOW.