Many families struggled during the pandemic; it’s no secret BIPOC families were disproportionately affected. But according to CBS News, a recently published UCLA report is doing a deep dive into how working Latinas were specifically affected. And the findings aren’t great.
“From March 2020 to March 2021, 2.7% of Latina workers dropped out of the labor market compared to 1.7% of white women workers in the same period, according to ‘Latinas Exiting the Workforce: How the Pandemic Revealed Historic Disadvantages and Heightened Economic Hardship.’ The report provided three main reasons for Latinas’ exit from the workforce:
One reason was that Latinas are disproportionately employed in leisure, hospitality and other industries that were particularly vulnerable to closures put in place due in an attempt to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The second is that Latinas are disincentivized from participating in the labor force due to a lack of access to education and training opportunities for higher-wage positions.
The third was that Latinas are disproportionately responsible for family care obligations relative to Latino men and are more likely to stay at home than mothers of other racial backgrounds.”
Were you able to continue working during the pandemic? What is your reaction to these findings?