Women in Connecticut have been hit especially hard by high unemployment brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Some lawmakers say gender pay equity and affordable child care are now more important than ever.
In Connecticut, 59% of unemployed workers are women, even though they make up only half the workforce. That’s because the hardest-hit industries, like leisure and hospitality, employ large numbers of women. And many women haven’t been able to get back to work because of limited childcare options, now that schools and day care centers are closed.
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut says women are disproportionately impacted by the financial harm of the pandemic.
“Pay equity could be the difference between financial survival and financial ruin.”
DeLauro says the Paycheck Fairness Act would help close the gender wage gap. That bill has stalled in the Senate.
In addition to pay equity, DeLauro wants Congress to create a 50 billion dollar fund that would allow childcare facilities to operate safely as the economy reopens.
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