Over-represented in critically necessary fields, women are 75% of hospital workers, 93% of child care workers, 90% of people employed in private homes, and two-thirds of grocery store cashiers and retail staff.
State and local governments provide vital services that are even more necessary in the current crisis—including education, social services, and public health protections—and they employ over 17.4 million workers, six in 10 of whom are women.
Women accounted for 55% of the 20.5 million jobs lost in April 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and unemployment rates for women of color are staggeringly high.