2. Pandemic was devastating for America's working women

In February 2020, right before the start of the pandemic, American women outnumbered men in the labor market. Since then, more than 2 million women have dropped out of the workforce, compared with 1.7 million men.

Why it matters: The pandemic has erased decades of workplace progress, and it could take many years for women to return to where they were at the start of 2020.