INVNT CEO & [INVNT GROUP] COO, Kristina McCoobery contributed thoughts on this important topic.
Since the onset of the pandemic, the U.S. has witnessed an exodus of women from the labor force. Mothers are at the center of this economic crisis, or as it’s been termed, the “she-cession.” In 2020, according to the National Women’s Law Center, the unemployment rate for mothers more than doubled from the previous year, rising from 3.5% in 2019 to 7.5% in 2020. For women of color, these increases were even more stark.
Although employment figures have increased this year as the COVID-19 vaccination rates increase and the infection rates decrease, the latest jobs report came in far below the forecasted figures. The numbers paint a picture of the impossible situation women across the country have been facing for close to a year and a half, carrying out full-time jobs while also taking care of their families full-time.
McCoobery notes:
“Looking back on my time as a new mother 19 years ago, I was afforded the opportunity to take time to focus on my daughter. This balance helped me get to where I am today. We’re flexible, understanding and accommodating at our agency, but reaching out to our women for this piece, I see that we need to do more—as an agency and an industry.”
Read what other women in the industry had to say here.