woman in business suit talking on phone and looking at child sitting on her desk (Photo: Shutterstock)

The correlation between gender and financial preparedness is a long-standing reality of the American economy, but data shows that the pandemic has widened the divide, putting women at an even greater disadvantage.

Many women had to leave the workforce completely—either due to being forced out by furloughs and layoffs or unable to accommodate both a full time job and the vast amount of unpaid physical and emotional labor needed to take care of their families during this time. The numbers are bleak: According to Oxfam International, the pandemic has cost women around the globe 64 million jobs (~5% of the total jobs held by women) and $800 billion in earnings.

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