How Women Undergraduate Students Were Impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic

A new study from the Institute of Educational Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education examines the impact of the COVID-19 impact on student enrollment, housing, and finance. Some of the data is broken down by gender.

More than 86 percent of all women undergraduates reported that they had experienced enrollment disruptions due to the pandemic. Some 4.4 percent of women said they withdrew from their college or university and 3.8 percent of all women undergraduates took a leave of absence. Nearly 9 percent of all women undergraduates had some or all of their classes canceled due to the pandemic.

More than one-fifth of women undergraduates reported that they moved back to their permanent address during the first months of the pandemic and more than 8 percent of women undergraduates had to move to another off-campus location. Three percent of women undergraduates reported that they had difficultly finding housing arrangements.

More than 43 percent of women undergraduates reported that they experienced financial difficulty due to the pandemic. Only 33 percent of male undergraduates said they faced financial difficulties. Nearly a third of women undergraduates said they lost a job or had their hours reduced due to the pandemic, compared to 24 percent of male undergraduates. More than 10 percent of women undergraduates said they experienced food insecurity and more than 23 percent said they had difficulty finding adequate child care.