Pandemic painful for many self-employed women, but their numbers are rising again

This article explores trends in female self-employment before and after the pandemic. While the number of self-employed men working fell 22.6 percent in the early months of COVID-19, the number of self-employed women tumbled 34 percent in the same time frame. Self-employed mothers saw an especially large decline as COVID-19 struck. Although this decline was stark, it was also temporary. The number of self-employed individuals in the labor force rose substantially in the months that followed, surpassing prepandemic levels in the third quarter of 2022.