2020 Really Had to Kick Us While We Were Down: The U.S. economy lost 140,000 jobs in December, according to new data released today. Findings released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (opens in new tab) show a bleak and worsening picture of the state of the U.S. economy. Despite the impending mass distribution of vaccines, U.S. companies cut a whopping 140,000 jobs in December, and as CNN discovered, (opens in new tab) the net figure is that women lost 156,000 jobs and men gained 16,000.

Even more depressing (how is that possible?), the unemployment rate remained flat at 6.7%.

The biggest victims of the pandemic have been women. According to a McKinsey study (opens in new tab), women's jobs were twice as vulnerable as men's during the pandemic. This was due in part to the fact that female-dominated industries, such as education, were hit particularly hard.

Black women, in particular, have suffered the most from unemployment and underemployment. (opens in new tab) Not only are Black Americans more likely to suffer from COVID-related health problems and die from illness (opens in new tab), but many Black women are also the most severely affected economically. Additional reports indicate that Black and Latino women lost jobs in December, while White women gained jobs. (Opens in new tab)

Many of the women who were fortunate enough to retain employment have had to shoulder the burden of childcare and caring for sick family members, causing additional stress and anxiety.