The corona virus crisis disrupted the lives of millions of people in Europe and the United States. Beginning in March, non-essential businesses were closed, workers were furloughed or laid off – or in Germany subject to Kurzarbeit. In the U.S. schools and daycare centers were shuttered. In both countries, families struggle to come to terms with home schooling. In short, COVID-19 has disrupted the labor market and education – and this has had disastrous consequences for working women and their families.
On January 27, the ACG and the Heidelberg University Association hosted a discussion on the economic impact of the COVID crisis on women in the United States and Germany with Prof. Dr. Christiane Schwieren, Professor of Economics at the Alfred Weber Institute at Heidelberg University, and Julie Kashen, Senior Fellow and Director for Women’s Economic Justice at The Century Foundation, with award-winning German television journalist Birte Meier (2009 ACG Kellen Fellow) as the moderator.