Pandemic job losses hitting women working in health care harder than men

Female nursing home employees represent the job niche where job market re-entry remains the most sluggish. (Photo: Shutterstock)

In a year of job reductions and school building closures, the role of women in the workplace took a step backward. A nation in theory committed to equal job opportunities for men and women revealed once again that its citizens expect more women than men to stay at home and mind the children.

Anecdotal tales of women “forced” to stay home with their Zoom-educated kids was enough to support the general trend. But as the economy rebounded, who went back to work in greater numbers–men or women? And in which industry were women called back less often than men? Altarum, a nonprofit organization that offers ways to improve health among vulnerable and publicly insured populations, has the answers.