China's Workplace Gender Gap Widened During Pandemic, Hitting Working Mothers Hardest

• China's workplace gender gap widened significantly during the pandemic - women worked 1.4 fewer hours per day and earned $304 less per month than men in late 2020.

• The "she-cession" disproportionately impacted women, especially working mothers with young children - they faced 181% higher unemployment and earned 36.8% less than working fathers.

• Overall gender inequality in China has been worsening for decades - it ranks 107th out of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index.

• The gender gap stems from women taking on more family responsibilities during emergencies and greater pandemic impacts on female-dominated sectors.

• Policymakers need to provide more childcare options to prevent the pandemic from further widening gender gaps in China's labor market.