Unemployment - Women

Unemployment - Women in United States

United States

A stable and well-paying job makes it possible for people to live in areas with access to healthy food, medical services and quality child care and education for their families, and to afford these things — all critical factors for maintaining good health. Unemployment is associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality, especially among adults ages 18-24. 

There is a strong relationship between employment status and mental health. Unemployment may lead to lower self-esteem, higher levels of depression and strained family ties. The effects of job loss are not limited to the individual: Studies have shown a profound effect on impacted spouses and children. 

High unemployment rates increase the economic burden on states due to decreased revenue from income taxes and increased demand for unemployment insurance and social welfare programs. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a large increase in the number of unemployed individuals in the United States, with notable impacts on women. Between February 2020 and February 2021, women disproportionately left the labor force, making up more than half of the total workforce loss despite comprising less than half of the workforce in the U.S.

In 2020, the prevalence of unemployment was higher among:

• Younger women ages 16-19 compared with women ages 20 and older.
• Hispanic and Black women compared with Asian and white women. 
• Women with less than a high school diploma; unemployment rates decrease as educational attainment increases.

Different strategies exist to reduce the unemployment rate, especially for women. Women are disproportionately burdened with caretaking for children and other family members, and the lack of affordable child care or supportive policies can make it difficult to maintain full-time or stable work to support those families. Decreasing the unemployment rate and increasing the number of working women requires serious investments in supportive care infrastructure, labor protections and equitable wages and benefits.

Healthy People 2030 tracks different measures of economic stability, including increasing employment among the working-age population ages 16-64.

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Nikolova, Milena, and Boris N. Nikolaev. “Family Matters: The Effects of Parental Unemployment in Early Childhood and Adolescence on Subjective Well-Being Later in Life.” Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization 181 (May 26, 2018): 312–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2018.05.005.

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