Almudena Sevilla, Sarah Smith
The economic recession induced by the COVID-19 pandemic stands in stark contrast to previous recessions in that it has disproportionately impacted women s employment. Alon et al. (2020a) find that prior to 2020, recent recessions have either depressed men s employment more than women’s or had a roughly equal impact. On the contrary, in the 2020 recession, the female unemployment rose by 2.9 percentage points more than the male unemployment rate at its peak (Alon et al., 2020a), and even during the partial recovery period in recent months, the female unemployment rate is still significantly higher than the male unemployment rate.
RETAIL By Andrew Asch | Thursday, January 21, 2021
The Grove
The
National Retail Federation reported on Jan. 15 that business for the 2020 holiday season was surprisingly strong. Sales grew 8.3 percent to $789.4 billion, beating the prominent trade group’s forecast of 3.6 percent to 5.2 percent growth.
Business for the crucial retail season was widely forecasted to be undercut by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Jack Kleinhenz, the NRF’s chief economist, said that the season’s business was saved by government stimulus payments and because consumers were not spending money on entertainment, dining out or travel.
“The promise of a new round of stimulus checks after a deal was struck before Christmas helped increase consumer confidence. Consumers were also encouraged by the news of COVID-19 vaccines becoming available, which helped offset concerns about increased infection rates and state restrictions on activity,” Kleinhenz sai
MAYA BROWN/THE STATESMAN
Conversations about race are becoming more prevalent in the media as the Black Lives Matter movement resurges and encourages people of the African diaspora to embrace the diversity within the Black community. This movement has made non-Black Americans more aware of an ongoing discussion within the Black community regarding the use of the terms “Black” versus “African American.”
While Black people in America and other parts of the world share the common experiences of racial discrimination and systematic oppression, it is unanimously understood that the Black experience is not monolithic. For this reason, among others, people prefer to claim their Blackness with terms that reflect their personal identities, which are shaped by their life experiences, ancestry and ethnicity.
The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with five students who were admitted early decision to the Class of 2025 after navigating an unprecedented year for college application processes. Here are their stories.