Compared with previous recessions, the recession induced by COVID-19 had a greater impact on women's employment and labor force participation relative to men. But the big divide was less between men and women than it was between the more and the less educated. Contrary to many accounts, women did not exit the labor force in large numbers, and they did not greatly decrease their hours of work. The aggregate female labor force participation rate did not plummet. That said, the ability to balance caregiving and work differed greatly by education, occupation, and race. The more educated could work from home. Those who began the period employed in various in-person service occupations and establishments experienced large reductions in employment. Black women experienced a more negative impact beyond other factors considered, and the health impact of COVID-19 is a probable reason. The estimation of the pandemic's impact depends on the counterfactual used. The real story of women during the pandemic is that employed women who were educating their children and working adult daughters who were caring for their parents were stressed because they were in the labor force, not because they left.

与以往的经济衰退相比，COVID-19 引发的经济衰退对女性就业和劳动力参与率的影响相对于男性更大。但是，男性和女性之间的差距小于受教育程度高和受教育程度低的人之间的差距。与许多说法相反，女性并没有大量退出劳动力大军，她们的工作时间也没有大幅减少。总体女性劳动力参与率并未直线下降。也就是说，平衡照顾和工作的能力因教育、职业和种族而异。受过更多教育的人可以在家工作。那些开始在各种现场服务职业和机构工作的人经历了就业的大幅减少。黑人女性经历了比考虑的其他因素更多的负面影响，COVID-19 对健康的影响是一个可能的原因。对大流行影响的估计取决于所使用的反事实。大流行期间妇女的真实故事是，正在教育子女的就业妇女和照顾父母的工作成年女儿之所以感到压力，是因为她们在劳动力大军中，而不是因为她们离开了。