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Virus Worsens the U.S. Gender Pay Gap, With Women Losing Out

  • New research shows women hit harder by pandemic in short-term
  • Ultimately women may benefit from gender norm shifts, telework
    
Photographer: AJ_Watt/E+/Getty Images

The coronavirus pandemic will likely make the gender pay gap worse as the U.S. economy recovers but could ultimately improve opportunities for women, according to a paper distributed by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

In a regular recession, the pay gap between men and women shrinks by two percentage points as men tend to get hit harder by job losses, according to the paper published this month. But in a pandemic recession, that gap increases by five percentage points, the report said.