Unpartnered mothers have seen bigger drop in the share at work than other groups of parents % of parents employed and at work in September of 2019 and 2020
While previous research on the labor market shows that the pandemic has similarly affected mothers and fathers overall from September 2019 to September 2020, a new Pew Research Center analysis finds that the share of unpartnered mothers who are employed and at work has fallen more precipitously than among other parents.
In September 2020, six months since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, 67.4% of unpartnered mothers with children younger than 18 at home were working – employed and on the job – compared with 76.1% in September 2019. This 9 percentage point drop is the largest among all groups of parents, partnered or not. Unpartnered fathers experienced a less severe decrease (4 points), about the same as the drop seen by partnered mothers and fathers (about 5 points each).
Unpartnered mothers have seen bigger  | drop in the share at work than other  | groups of parents  | % of parents employed and at work in September of  | 2019 and 2020  | 100%  | Partnered fathers  | 91.1  | 86, 1  | Unpartnered fathers  | 79.6  | 75.8  | 75 76.1  | Unpartnered mothers  | 67.2  | 67,  | 62  | Partnered mothers  | 50  | 2019  | 2020  | Note: Estimates reter to women and men ages 16 and older with  | children younger than 18 at home and who ages were either the  | reference person in the survey or their partner, nonseasonally  | adjusted. Unpartnered parents" include those who have never  | married, are not cohabiting are widowed or separated, or who may  | be married but reported their spouse is absent.  | Source: Pew Research Center analysis of 2019 and 2020 Current  | Population Survey data.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 