In this lesson we learned about unemployment and we saw some of the data around demographic differences in labor market experiences. Black unemployment is consistently double white unemployment and female labor force participation has been absolutely demolished in the last year due to Covid. The impact of these issues goes far beyond these specific people or groups, it diminishes our ability as a country to recover from the pandemic and to grow in a healthy and balanced way moving forward. Let's dig into the idea further.

Part 1: Have you or someone you know ever struggled with unemployment? What challenges or obstacles did you/they experience while searching for employment and navigating life without a regular income?

Part 2: Watch the two videos below and then answer the following questions:

Question 1 - What are the biggest obstacles that women and BIPOC workers face in the US labor market today?

Question 2 - What can employers and governments do to help these workers close the gap and realize their true productive potential? Should we be focused on simply getting people back to work quickly today or on improving systems like education, criminal justice, and childcare to help workers in the future avoid some of those biggest obstacles? Why?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7oqefnQJCQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q5PGhX5xfE&feature=youtu.be