Women without a College Degree, Especially Minority Mothers, Face a Steeper Road to Recovery

Abstract

Didem Tuzemen documents changes in the labor force participation rates of prime-age individuals across sex, education level, and race and ethnicity during the pandemic-induced downturn and subsequent recovery. Her analysis yields three key findings. First, prime-age women without a bachelor’s degree experienced greater deteriorations in their labor force participation and employment during the recession than all other prime-age individuals, and their labor force participation and employment rates are still well below their pre-pandemic levels. Second, Hispanic prime-age women without a bachelor’s degree have seen a larger decline and a slower recovery in their employment and labor force participation rates compared with non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black women. Third, the presence of young children seems to have weighed on the labor market outcomes of less-educated women in general and minority women in particular.