NPR: Women Bear The Brunt Of Coronavirus Job Losses

Original article posted on NPR.

Very briefly, at the end of 2019 and the start of 2020, there were slightly more women on American nonfarm payrolls than men.

That's no longer true. The historically disastrous April jobs report shows that the brunt of job losses fell on women.

Women now account for around just under half — 49% — of American workers, and they accounted for 55% of the increase in job losses last month.

One way of looking at why that matters that is to look at the gap that opened up between women's and men's unemployment last month. The below chart shows women's unemployment rate minus men's unemployment rate since 2007.

Usually, the line bumps around near or just below zero — meaning men's unemployment is usually near or slightly higher than women's.

But that spike on the far right shows how women's unemployment leapt to be 2.7 points higher than men's in April. Women had an unemployment rate of 16.2% to men's 13.5% last month.

That's uncommon for a recession. The below chart is a longer view, and the periods with gray backgrounds are recessions. During every recession since 1981, men's unemployment has shot up past women's — that is, the line dips negative.