The She-Cession: Women Disappearing From the Workforce

Women's History Month begs the question, what does the future hold for women and work?

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Mar 08, 2021, 07:00 ET

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Generation USA, a global workforce development nonprofit, today announced its social campaign celebrating the eight diverse women in its C-suite, working to further opportunities for women, particularly women of color, through the organization's reskilling programs and career and additional support offered at no cost; the mission of Generation is even more critical as the recession has decimated jobs in sectors dominated by female workers of color and the organization credits its own diversity for the success of their efforts and in turn, the impact for students and alumni reentering the workforce.

"It was important for me to join an organization that intentionally values equity, diversity, and inclusion in its growth plan," said Morgan Watson, Chief of Staff. "We want to set an example for our students, our alumni, and our partners that building a diverse organization -- most importantly at the executive and leadership level -- is crucial for success in the 21st century."

According to the National Women's Law Center, women have lost 5.4 million jobs since the pandemic began and women participating in the labor force is at its lowest since 1988. Black women and Latinas had higher rates of unemployment before the pandemic; in February 2020, 2.8 percent of white women were unemployed, compared with nearly 5 percent of Latinas and Black women. In December, those rates nearly doubled, with Black women being twice as likely to be the breadwinner of their families compared to white women.

"More than 50% of our participants are women and nearly a third have dependents," said Sienna Daniel, Chief Growth and Impact Officer. "Our programs are geared to help get women into a sector where traditionally, they've been left behind."

Generation's reskilling programs prioritize women and underserved communities for admission into its reskilling programs, now all available online. The nonprofit celebrated its largest online graduation last month, with over 10 percent of students securing jobs before the ceremony. Generation supports students after graduation as well, creating a community that helps women of color lead sustainable career paths.

"At Generation USA, we're a diverse staff of more than 90 individuals, over 74% who identify as women," said Jeannie Guzman, Chief People Officer. "More than 75% of our leadership team identifies as women, too. We believe this is key for our organization -- to represent the same diverse backgrounds of the students we seek to serve."

As Generation works to transform the education to employment ecosystem, the nonprofit along with its partner Verizon, have committed to reskilling 500,000 individuals by 2030, focused on elevating women and marginalized communities in the workforce.

For more information about Generation USA, admissions, or how your company or college can get involved visit: usa.generation.org.

About Generation

Generation is a nonprofit that transforms education to employment systems to prepare, place, and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible. The global pandemic has led to an unprecedented surge in unemployment. Even before the pandemic, more than 75 million young adults were out of work globally, and three times as many were underemployed—and 375 million workers of all ages needed to learn new skills by 2030. At the same time, certain jobs remain in high-demand, and 40 percent of employers say a skills shortage leaves them with entry-level vacancies. To date, more than 40,000 people have graduated from Generation programs, which prepare them for meaningful careers in 14 countries. Generation works with more than 3,900 employer partners and many implementation partners and funders. For more, visit usa.generation.org.

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Amy Kauffman
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SOURCE Generation USA