>> 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.