The Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Careers

Author

Allison Bach

Date of Award

5-2021

Degree Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Science in Professional Communication (MSPC)

Department

School of Professional Studies

Chief Instructor

Mary Piecewicz

Abstract

This paper explores the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on women’s careers on a global scale in the past year. It begins by focusing on the many pre-existing barriers that existed in realizing gender equality in the workplace prior to the pandemic, such as inadequate access to proper childcare, uneven participation in household labor between the genders, and pay inequality. The paper then continues to examine the impact that the pandemic has had on women’s careers across a variety of industries, countries, and specific groups. It was hypothesized that the COVID-19 crisis had created worse effects for women’s careers in the United States than it did in other countries. Research found that there was no stronger link between the adverse effects of the pandemic on women’s careers in the United States than there was in other countries. The global scope of the pandemic has meant that women’s careers as a whole have suffering almost universally throughout the past year. In spite of this, the careers of some groups of women have been harmed more than others, as there is a correlation between the number of oppressed groups a woman belongs to and the likelihood that she has been laid off or received a pay reduction. This research is important because it demonstrates the worldwide scope of the coronavirus’s effects on women’s careers, as it has not only stagnated feminists’ progress towards gender equality, but it has in many cases reversed it.

Recommended Citation

Bach, Allison, "The Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women’s Careers" (2021). School of Professional Studies. 77.
https://commons.clarku.edu/sps_masters_papers/77