38. Fostering Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Initiatives

<p class="MsoNormal">In 2020, the world struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/10/pandemic-worse-than-2008-for-a-majority-of-americans-study-says.html">the majority finds worse</a> than the 2008 Global Recession. Its aftermaths caused severe problems for the healthcare and financial sector, but they also awoke deep-seated societal issues. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">The novel coronavirus disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities as they have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-infection-by-race/faq-20488802">higher hospitalization rates</a> than non-Hispanic white individuals. Thus, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-infection-by-race/faq-20488802">25 percent</a> of Hispanic and Black employees work in the essential sector yet encounter more obstacles to getting care, such as <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/coronavirus-infection-by-race/faq-20488802">a lack of health insurance</a>.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The COVID-19 recession also led to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201021-why-this-recession-disproportionately-affects-women">more job losses among women than men</a>, and they are also likelier to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201021-why-this-recession-disproportionately-affects-women">work in the healthcare and education sphere</a>. Another issue that the pandemic brought back to the forefront is that females disproportionately took the role of a caregiver due to being <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201021-why-this-recession-disproportionately-affects-women">associated with childcare more strongly</a> than before. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even though the world is reaching the other side of the pandemic, we will have to miti