How women persevere through the pandemic
Women have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic — female-dominated industries have taken heavy job losses, and many mothers have juggled work from home during school and child care center closures.
One year ago today, women filed 65% of the new unemployment claims in Ohio as the effect of the business closures and stayat-home orders spread through the economy. Many other women have served on the front lines of the pandemic, including in health care.
All of that has led to economic pressure, and mental and physical stress. Nearly 4.1 million women aged 20 and older dropped out of the U.S. labor force in September, 23% more than the 3.3 million men who left, according to federal data.
The Dayton Daily News Community Conversation: Women Persevering Through the Pandemic will dig into the effects of COVID
19 on women in our region. The live, virtual panel discussion at noon Thursday, March 25, will be streamed on the Dayton Daily News Facebook page.
The conversation will include six local leaders examining solutions to these issues. The panel includes:
■ Samantha Elder, director of strategic initiatives and communication at Montgomery County Alcohol Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services.
■ Shannon Isom, president and CEO of the YWCA Dayton.
■ Barbara Johnson, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Premier Health.
■ Shannon Jones, Warren County commissioner and former state lawmaker.
■ Dr. Hind Moussa, a physician in obstetrics and gynecology with Kettering Health Network.
■ Erin Rhinehart, co-managing partner at Faruki PLL.
Rhinehart and Elder also are members of the Dayton Daily News Community Advisory Board.
The panel discussion will be hosted by Dayton Daily News Editor Jim Bebbington and Investigative Editor Samantha Sommer, with assistance from reporter Lynn Hulsey.
“During Women’s History Month, we’ve told many stories of women’s experience in our region; this community conversation is important as we begin to come out of COVID to surface ideas about what women need to succeed going forward,” Bebbington said.