Why Covid-19 Has Made the Gender Pay Gap Even Worse

Income inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased significantly. Especially for women.

The gender pay gap is getting out of control. More women, especially minority women, have been laid off from their jobs than men. Women have been dealing with inequality for far too long, and it’s getting worse during the pandemic. Let’s find out how this happened.

The wage gap increasing during the pandemic is based on many factors. A main one is that women occupy more low-pay jobs working with the public than men. When everything in the public service sector is shut down to limit the spread of disease, it impacts women more.

Waitresses who used to make tons of money in tips are laid off and must live off unemployment. Bartenders can’t pour drinks when all of the nightclubs are closed. Since it’s more difficult for women to get into higher paying jobs than men, they must resort to these public service sector jobs more often. These jobs have less security, and as such are more vulnerable to the changing tides of an average economy (even without a pandemic). They have less opportunities for advancement, and limit women in what they can become. But why do women choose these jobs?

Women have been socialized to gravitate towards lower-paying jobs since the day they’re born. Men can be found in the STEM fields, while women occupy social science and art studios. This is because they’ve been conditioned and taught over time that women should be more empathic, nurturing, and caring, which is why they like to study and understand people.

Meanwhile, some men are told they don’t have a nurturing bone in their body and should stick to math and science. This highlights how the sexism can negatively impact both genders.

Men who choose women’s studies, for example, would have to defend that choice. It wouldn’t be seen as boast-worthy, but as a waste. This is because male-centered careers are valued more by society than women-centered careers. Further, when women move into jobs occupied by mostly men, the jobs themselves become devalued.

The feminization of the banking industry is a great example of devaluing women’s career choices. In the 1900s, more men worked for banks and consulted with the public. It was paid well and could support a family. When women began making waves in the workforce, banking jobs not only began to pay less, but they were also seen less elite. Now, many banking jobs are entry-level positions that pay minimum wage plus commission. This is a remarkable example of a job getting less impressive the more women take on the role. Therefore, not only are women pushed into lower paying positions because of their stereotypical gender norms, but they will lessen the value of “man’s” job if they don’t follow the norms and choose a STEM field. Sector women choose to enter are at a danger of shrinking, both in status and financial compensation.

Since it seems that women will be stuck in a cyclical gender pay gap, how do we rectify the situation amidst COVID-19?

One way would be to subsidize childcare for young mothers. A main reason women had to quit their jobs in the United States was because of the reduction in adequate childcare options. The government assumed someone in the family (the woman presumably) would be able to step away from their job and take care of the kids. Instead of putting efforts into creating a framework for safe childcare, or providing families with a live-in nanny, they closed schools and daycares. Since four times as many women as men were forced to leave their jobs during the pandemic, there is a heavy correlation with a lack of childcare.

We live in unprecedented times, so it’s fair to assume the government “didn’t know” what would happen when they failed to provide proper childcare. But now we do. If you’re a parent, how are you supposed to get to work and take care of your children? If your job doesn’t allow you to work from home, you’re pretty much out of luck. Regardless of the times we’re living in, the fact that the pandemic has pushed tons of working women back into the home, and affected many less men, highlights a shocking reality in our job market. Women needs higher wages, stability, and flexibility in their jobs. Further, they need more respect from their partners who have allowed them to quit to raise the children. Instead of prioritizing both careers, one is at the forefront.

This means, if the couple were ever to break up, the woman’s career would be sidetracked while the man’s would be in good standing. This is why divorce laws are the way they are (ensuring the non-bread winner is adequately compensated post-breakup). Childcare creates an opportunity cost most women are forced to take on alone. The COVID-19 pandemic only highlights it further.

Check out this graph on labor participation of families with children for yourself.

On an intersectional level, women of color are experiencing more hardships in the workforce than anyone. In December 2020, all jobs lost were women’s, with the majority by minorities. This shows how difficult it is to be a woman of color, even in 2021. Dr. C. Nicole Mason, CEO and President of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, has dubbed it the “she-cession”. This term is becoming global, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to fight back against the she-cession. The she-cession is pushing women backwards, in such close proximity to a forward-thinking time. In 2017, the Me Too movement highlighted how common sexual assault and harassment is. It pushed many women to join in and speak up against the abuse. But now, the pandemic, and lack of support from the government, has pushed too many women out of the workforce and raised domestic violence rates. These hardships aren’t only impacting the lower-class, but the upper class as well.

While many of the statistics on the she-cession are about women getting laid off, quitting, or reducing their hours for low-level public service jobs, it impacts higher ups as well. For doctors, the pay gap has increased amidst the pandemic. Since childcare was reduced, more female than male doctors have had to step away from their role and stay at home with the kids. They’ve been penalized for these reduced hours and have been denied promotions as a result. All because they’re expected to take care of their children more than the male doctors with families. Women’s careers will often take a backseat in times of desperation, as people will fall back into traditional patterns. This is no exception.

There aren’t Facebook groups made by men to commiserate about the burden of childcare on their work life. Because it so rarely happens. If we didn’t live in a patriarchal society, this wouldn’t be occurring. All of these historical proceedings of women being shunted to the bottom of society have led to this. No matter where the woman’s career is at, she is confronted with this sexist, sole responsibility.

Women able to work from home are far from exempt. Those that worked on their career for decades now have to deal with additional tasks on top of their regular schedule. Usually, if you’re working in the office or have proper childcare, you can focus on the task on hand. But now, women are disproportionately taking care of the children, despite both parents working from home. This is because the man is often making more money, therefore his career is prioritized for the family. But then, women lose out on promotions and advancements for herself. This is how women are getting pushed backwards in the pandemic. They started out underpaid and undervalued, but over the last few decades were slowly making their way up in their careers. Now, they’re getting thrown back into traditional roles that will make the recovery of these careers increasingly difficult.

When the workforce is segregated this way, it’s difficult to believe we live in a world of equal opportunity. 50.04% of the workforce in the United States is female, which means they are contributing immensely to the economy. Yet, they occupy the majority of underpaid roles. It’s reminiscent of peasant to royalty relations, in which they built all their wealth on the backs of low-wage labour. The economy is supported by women, in particular women of color, yet they’re incredibly underappreciated.

This is all to say, we already have many problems and must create equity for women in the workplace. The pandemic just showcased the dangers of such a segregated labor force. Additionally, the lack of childcare pushed many women into working two full-time jobs – their career and being a nanny. Their other options are quit, get laid-off, or reduce hours which limit promotions.

This pandemic is dangerous for all women trying to get ahead in the world. It’s sending us back to traditional roles and bringing us back in time. The recovery will be hard, but there have been setbacks to the women’s movement before. Hopefully the bounce back is swift.