Reinvigorating Women’s Economic Empowerment, the Right Way to Address COVID-19, and More

June 29, 2020

The last century saw the steady rise of female employment and wages—until about 20 years ago when employment and wages plateaued. In their new essay for the 19A Brookings Gender Equality Series, Paula England, Andrew Levine, and Emma Mishel explore how to reinvigorate women’s economic revolution.

“One way to frame our efforts to address the crisis and heal our nation is to focus on our society’s well-being rather than solely on the state of our economy.” For their Reopening America & the World contribution, Carol Graham and Sergio Pinto argue that an adequate response to COVID-19 means also addressing the vulnerability of low-income populations and inadequate health and social safety nets.

Black Americans are overrepresented among COVID-19’s frontline essential workers and have played a critical role in keeping the country running during the pandemic. Molly Kinder and Tiffany Ford call on leaders in both government and business to move beyond statements of solidarity and take meaningful actions to support them.

A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19:

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