Oxford Map the System -2021 Semi-Finalist

Context

Map the System is a global systems-thinking competition led by the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford, in partnership with academic institutions worldwide.

The Challenge

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global economic crisis that disproportionately impacted women — particularly through job loss, unpaid care burdens, and precarity in the informal economy. While these impacts were widely discussed, the underlying system dynamics driving gendered economic inequality were less well understood.

My Role

Team member and co-author, responsible for systems analysis and synthesis.

What We Did

• Selected the United States as a focused case study to examine gendered economic impacts of COVID-19

• Applied systems-thinking methods to map root causes, feedback loops, and reinforcing dynamics driving women’s disproportionate job loss

• Analyzed interactions between labor markets, care infrastructure, social policy, and household economics

• Synthesized data and evidence into a clear systems map and accompanying narrative

Outcome / Impact

• Named a 2021 Semi-Finalist in the Oxford Map the System global competition

• Produced a systems-level analysis highlighting structural drivers of gender inequality in the U.S. workforce during COVID-19

• Contributed to broader understanding of how crises exacerbate existing economic and social inequities for women

Project Title

The Great She-cession: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Women in the U.S. Workforce