The Guardian: "How the 'shecession' will cause long-term harm for women in the US"

"For the first time in history, the US is in a “shecession” – an economic downturn where job and income losses are affecting women more than men. The term was coined by C Nicole Mason, president and chief executive of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), a thinktank.

Mason put forward the term to highlight the disproportionate impact of this economic downturn on women. More than 11 million women have lost their jobs and another 2.65 million have left the workforce since February, according to an IWPR analysis of labor department data.

Mason spoke to the Guardian recently about what needs to change to get an equitable economic recovery."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/04/shecession-women-economy-c-nicole-mason-interview

Direct link to the Institute for Women's Policy Research "Building the Future" report https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Policies-for-a-Gender-Equitable-Recovery-Finalsm2.pdf

New York Times: "Recession With a Difference: Women Face Special Burden"

From the New York Times, an article of interest for Franklin:

"For millions of working women, the coronavirus pandemic has delivered a rare and ruinous one-two-three punch.

First, the parts of the economy that were smacked hardest and earliest by job losses were ones where women dominate — restaurants, retail businesses and health care.

Then a second wave began taking out local and state government jobs, another area where women outnumber men.

The third blow has, for many, been the knockout: the closing of child care centers and the shift to remote schooling. That has saddled working mothers, much more than fathers, with overwhelming household responsibilities."

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/business/economy/women-jobs-economy-recession.html

Washington Post: "The recession is over for the rich, but the working class is far from recovered"

From The Washington Post, an article of interest for Franklin:

"U.S. stocks are hovering near a record high, a stunning comeback since March that underscores the new phase the economy has entered: The wealthy have mostly recovered. The bottom half remain far from it.

This dichotomy is evident in many facets of the economy, especially in employment. Jobs are fully back for the highest wage earners, but fewer than half the jobs lost this spring have returned for those making less than $20 an hour, according to a new labor data analysis by John Friedman, an economics professor at Brown University and co-director of Opportunity Insights.

Though recessions almost always hit lower-wage workers the hardest, the pandemic is causing especially large gaps between rich and poor, and between White and minority households. It is also widening the gap between big and small businesses. Some of the largest companies, such as Nike and Best Buy, are enjoying their highest stock prices ever while many smaller businesses fight for survival."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/13/recession-is-over-rich-working-class-is-far-recovered/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_viruseconomy-630pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

Washington Post: "The recession is over for the rich, but the working class is far from recovered"

Inside the chicken and egg story

Christopher L. Foote, a senior economist and policy advisor in the research department at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, currently serves as advisor to the Center for Behavioral Economics and Decisionmaking. Chris covers the "Great Recession" in a series of segments from one talk for the Boston Fed with good insights specifically for MA and New England.


The first of the series is available at this link. The remainder in the series can be found within the video player on the Boston Fed Reserve website. The player allows for linking but not embedding.

http://www.bos.frb.org/videos/index.htm?bcpid=645289453001&bckey=AQ~~,AAAAGFYn89E~,aFDfVsMsQ7Xbd2TWIkONvAkTltKaGd6w&bclid=701977326001&bctid=704600475001




Franklin, MA