In Britain, young women got more work during the pandemic

ASK A HARRIED mother whether Britain suffered a pandemic-induced “she-cession”—a jobs downturn that hits women disproportionately—and she might retort that she had hardly been twiddling her thumbs. When schools first closed, mothers took on an outsize share of unpaid caring for children, and experienced a huge drop in uninterrupted time in which they could get on with work. Ask an economist the same question, and they will tell you that British women increased their share of formal employment, too. Although the pandemic hit most groups’ employment rates (see chart), men’s were hit harder.