The Daily Show: Ears Edition - COVID-19 Has Caused a Recession for Women

Episode Date: January 12, 2022

Desi Lydic talks to economist Olga Shurchkov and infectious disease researcher Dharushana Muthulingam about how the global pandemic is hurting working women. Originally aired April 2021. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. The COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged the U.S. economy with millions out of work. And much like Underwire and microblading, it's disproportionately hurting women. Economist Olga Shirkoff told me why. Since February 2020, about 2.5 million women left the workforce. Two and a half million. That'sthe workforce. Two and a half million? That's right. 80% of net job losses.

Wow, even when it comes to unemployment women are overachieving. For decades, women have been chipping away at the glass ceiling, joining the labor force in greater numbers with each year, until the pandemic, which has reduced the percentage of working women to 1988 levels. The question is, why is this happening? Well, my interview with Dr. Darushana Mothalingham

provided one compelling reason why. The pandemic is one of the reasons that I just needed to step back from my research. We lost child care for several months. Sorry, I couldn't quite hear. There was a bit of a, like a something in the background. That's mythat's my three-year-old son with a Lego train car. Sorry, hold on, no, it's my, I think it's my background. Is that the trash compactor?

There better not be any ninjago's in there. There were ninjagos in there. And th Thanks to school closures and child care disruptions, mothers are stepping back from the workforce in large numbers, and not because they want to. I think we really need to move away from this idea of personal choice. If you have to choose between bringing home a paycheck to feed your family and, you know, avoiding a deadly disease, that's not a choice. No, it's not. And it doesn't doesn't th doesn't, black, white, or that slick bitch in the next apartment that keeps

eyeing my husband. This affects you. My research has been focused on an infectious disease and incarcerated populations and so I was looking at sort of how can we improve testing and support for these individuals who are very vulnerable to getting infected. So you were researching COVID, and you had to take a step back? Yeah, I mean, it was a very difficult decision. God, think of all that you could have accomplished in this past year if you had full-time COVID-safe child care. Like, I know for me, I just know I would have been able to finish my one-woman show from home.

Homemilton. My whole life is in this room where it happens, this room where it happens, this room where it happens. Yeah, art is important. So millions of women have just been a year stuck at home. We're workshopping our dream projects with our kids instead of with audiences or producers. And much like a stoned Elon Musk tweet,

this could affect the whole economy. Women leaving the workforce means that these women are now losing the skills that they had and becoming less productive and so that could affect actually the entire economy and economic growth for years to come. Even women who are still working are experiencing sort of hidden burdens that they're doing this dual role. They say, no, no you can't have a snack. You just ate, can't have a snack. They have to work and at the same time take care of their children. And so there are also mental health repercussions, something's got to give. Hey, babe, can he have a snack? No, he can't, no, he can't have a snack.

So how do we fix this before moms across America just lose it, asking for a friend? I can't have a snack. No, you can't, yeah, you know what? Fick it, have a snack, have all the snacks. Dr. Schurchkoff says it's going to take a lot. COVID-19 highlighted and exacerbated longstanding structural gender and racial and ethnic gaps that need to be addressed and not to mention women I think have learned. Yes, oh my goodness, you want me to Google, we're looking up a Pokemon which is my other new PhD level area of expertise.

So where was I, yes, if we would like to see things get better, we need institutions, policy makers to pay attention to child care and expand access to child care. Shoot, I had a question off of that actually. Sorry, maybe my producer, Sarah, the question off of the women... I definitely have it written down in here. I remember when we came up with that question. Yeah. Sorry. Yeah, you got your hands full, it's okay. Oh boy, okay. I asked for it. I come prepared. Can't go. Mommy's working. Well, mommy, mommy. Oh boy, okay. I ask for that. I come prepared. Go. But, mommy's working.

Well, one thing is certain. The pandemic has shown us that the system is broken, and women need institutional support. Something has to be done. Probably by someone who doesn't have kids at home. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Ears Edition. Subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.