Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused various changes in many aspects of modern life. Populations all over the globe have dealt with issues varying from economic fallout to increased intimate partner violence. The present research focuses on the insight that the pandemic provided in relation to the working status of women in America, with an additional emphasis on women of color. Studies have reported that Black and Hispanic women in the US have been more likely to experience employment issues resulting from the pandemic and its repercussions.
Therefore, the title of the proposed project is “The Consequences of the Pandemic for Working Women in General and Working Women of Color.” The thesis will state that the causes of women’s unemployment during the pandemic lie in the lack of childcare support programs and existing gender bias in the US workplaces. The main arguments will, therefore, include the need to increase and develop childcare support for working mothers and address gender bias and discrimination in relation to women in general and women of color in particular.
Research Problem
The research problem of the proposed capstone project is represented by the combination of factors that contributed to women’s unemployment and job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Ongoing debates and questions concerning these factors will be analyzed in relation to women’s work-life balance and the gender discrimination and bias they face at work. These mainly include the question of whether childcare conflicts and system limitations in the country directly contributed to women’s job losses. The project will discuss both white women and women of color, providing a detailed view of the distinct biases and barriers that are more commonly faced by all women and women of color in particular.
Literature Review
A number of debates and topics were identified during the literature review conducted for this project. This encompasses the effects of the pandemic on women’s employment and job security. Studies have shown that many women have been disproportionately affected by job losses and pay cuts during the pandemic, and some argue that this is due to gender discrimination in the workplace (England et al.). In addition, the role of parental leave and childcare has been stated to enable women to continue working during crisis situations (Alon et al). The pandemic has highlighted the need for better support for working parents, particularly mothers, who may be forced to choose between their careers and caring for their children.
A number of studies have also identified the need for policies to address gender-based violence in the workplace. Obeng et al. found that the pandemic has caused an increase in domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence, leading to serious consequences for women’s ability to work and succeed in their careers. Finally, the literature review has provided insight into the importance of promoting gender diversity and inclusion in work environments. Another important argument of the project will state that the pandemic has highlighted the need for more gender diversity and inclusion in the workplace in order to support women’s careers and prevent discrimination and bias.
Methodology
This project will apply several methods to identify how all the factors mentioned above tie into childcare conflicts and their influence on women’s ability to continue working in the context of global and regional crises. The data collection for the project will be represented by the literature review of case studies, surveys, interviews, experiments, and articles published in the last three years and related to the topic of women’s unemployment. The data will be formatted and filtered, then analyzed using statistical analysis tools and techniques, such as descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and cluster analysis.
Timeline
The following timeline describes preliminary plans for the proposed project:
- Week 1: Define the project scope, goals, and objectives, and develop a project plan.
- Week 2-4: Conduct research and gather data, including conducting surveys, experiments, or interviews.
- Week 5-6: Clean and prepare the data for analysis, including removing errors and missing values and formatting the data in a way that is appropriate for the analysis.
- Week 7-8: Choose the appropriate data analysis techniques and tools and conduct the analysis.
- Week 9: Interpret and evaluate the results of the analysis and identify any additional analysis or data collection that may be needed.
- Week 10: Communicate the findings, such as through a report or presentation.
- Week 11-12: Implement any necessary changes or improvements based on the findings and finalize the project.
Conclusion
An investigation of the pandemic’s effects on women’s employment and work security, including the potential causes of job losses and wage reductions for women, is one of the anticipated outcomes of the planned initiatives. In addition, it is expected that the project will present objective and comprehensive findings on the role of parental leave and childcare in enabling women to continue working during the pandemic. The results are also anticipated to explore the need for policies and initiatives to address gender-based violence in the workplace during the pandemic, as well as the potential consequences for the employment and career advancement of women of color. Finally, it is expected that the research will help to identify the disparities that exist between White women and women of color in the US in relation to gender-based discrimination and unemployment.
Works Cited
Alon, Titan, et al. “The Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Equality.” Covid Economics, Vetted and Real-Time Papers, 2020.
England, Paula, et al. “The Gender Revolution is Stalling—What Would Reinvigorate It?” Brookings, Web.
Obeng, Cecilia, et al. “Childcare Issues and the Pandemic: Working Women’s Experiences in the Face of COVID-19.” Societies, vol. 12, no. 4, 2022, p. 103.