Illinois mothers with children at home lost their jobs in June at nearly three times the rate as men who had children at home. | Pexels/Anastasia Shuraeva
Illinois mothers with children at home lost their jobs in June at nearly three times the rate as men who had children at home. | Pexels/Anastasia Shuraeva
The economic crisis brought on by COVID-19 has left more than 1.5 million Illinoisans out of work and many others struggling, but no one in the state was harder hit in June than working mothers.
An analysis of Illinois unemployment numbers gathered from the U.S. Department of Labor found that women with children at home lost their jobs at nearly three times the rate of men who had children at home, a recent post on Illinois Policy said. With 16.3% of working mothers losing their jobs compared to 5.7% of working fathers, the difference only exacerbates the employment gap that already exists between men and women.
In addition to that, many women are withdrawing altogether from the workforce, as restrictions placed on daycare centers further impact families with children and force some women to become the primary child care provider for the family.
With Illinois schools reopening for half days, that situation may only get worse in the fall.
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