The resilience and importance of Latinas to our families have always been apparent. Their pivotal population and economic contribution to Texas’s growth and future must no longer be undermined or ignored. Covid-19 magnified multiple gender gap issues in a state ranked among the lowest nationally in gender inequities, particularly toward women of color.
Between the lingering impacts of last year’s economic shutdown and emerging variants of the coronavirus, the long-term effects of the pandemic on the workforce are still uncertain. Texas employment has returned to pre-pandemic levels, but recovery has been uneven, e.g., disproportionately impacting black and Hispanic low-skilled workers, and low-to-medium income households.