BIPOC women have been hard hit by the pandemic “” and they were already on shaky footing

BIPOC women have been hard hit by the pandemic “” and they were already on shaky footing

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The novel coronavirus pandemic and ensuing recession have affected workers across the country. BIPOC women (BIPOC stands for Black, indigenous, and people of color) have been hit especially hard. 

The obstacles blocking BIPOC women from professional and economic success are hardly new. They've existed for centuries. But a global pandemic has shed light on these challenges “” and made them harder to ignore. 

Consider the numbers.

In the US, female unemployment reached double digits this year for the first time since 1948, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics started recording unemployment statistics. BIPOC workers are experiencing higher rates of unemployment than white Americans. Our colleague Marguerite Ward reported that Black women are twice as likely as white men