Political Quotes

“some economists have another name for the recession that we are living through, the one that was caused by the COVID pandemic. They call it a ``she-cession'' because the economic hardships and job losses have fallen disproportionately on women, especially on working mothers. It is ironic that we are having this conversation the day after Mother's Day and reflecting on the current state of American families in the midst of a pandemic but, equally important, on the state of American families and the state of the mothers of those families and the economic realities that they face. There are 2.5 million American women who have dropped out or were pushed out of the workforce since the start of this pandemic. In a recent ABC News poll, 25 percent of women said they are worse off economically now than they were a year ago compared to 18 percent of men. A survey last fall found that almost 40 percent of working mothers in my State of Illinois--40 percent--lost their jobs or are working reduced hours. Nearly half of all working mothers of color reported the same. There are many reasons that this recession has been so economically devastating for so many women, but the two biggest reasons are these: Women are overrepresented in the industries that have been hit the hardest by the pandemic: restaurants, retail, leisure and hospitality. Women are also the primary caregivers--in some cases, the only caregivers--in the vast majority of American families.…”