Shecession

As Figure 2 shows, the model for the impact of regular versus pandemic recessions on women and men matches the evidence. A regular recession is a ‘mancession’, meaning that women’s total labour supply increases relative to men’s, whereas the pandemic recession is a ‘shecession’, with deep employment losses for women.

Called the “shecession” by some economists, the coronavirus pandemic is unlike other modern recessions in that job losses are greatest among women, who dominate jobs that cannot be done remotely, like food service, retail and hospitality.

In widening their investigation to 26 countries in Europe and North America, Doepke and his colleagues reveal that the U.S. was not alone in experiencing a “shecession.”