Pandemic consequence: women leaving the workforce

Iowans continue to struggle with significant job losses and high unemployment as coronavirus cases soar in our state.

In particular, the pandemic threatens to erase economic gains made by women in re-cent decades. At the end of 2019, women held more than half the payroll jobs. Women now make up less than half of the workforce.

A new Department of La-bor report shows that nation-ally, women are leaving the workforce at four times the rate of men. During the pan-demic, 865,000 women left the labor force compared to 216,000 men.