Date of Submission

Spring 2023

Academic Program

Economics

Project Advisor 1

Pavlina R. Tcherneva

Abstract/Artist's Statement

This research paper focuses on the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the unemployment rate and income inequality among gender and racial groups in the U.S. By analyzing this topic, we contribute to broader economic data on the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic impact it left. We compare the unemployment rates pre-covid and compare them to the first few months of the pandemic (March–May 2020), showing one of the most significant unemployment rates and income inequality increases in U.S. history. Women, low-income families, and those living below medium income were hit the hardest. The paper also investigates the definition of the unemployment rate during covid-19 pandemic and how unemployment benefits and government stimulus affected it. Some states opted out to exit the unemployment benefits sooner than others, and in this paper, we look at that impact. Would the unemployment rate differ if the policy response was not entirely focused on unemployment benefits? Why were low- income families hit the hardest? These are some of the questions we will try to answer in this research paper.

Open Access Agreement

On-Campus only

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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