Women worked at home at a higher rate than their male counterparts during COVID-19, according to findings from a new report released by the Census Bureau this week. According to the data, the number of women working from home increased once the pandemic began to take hold. 

People were sent home to work in an effort to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. This increased the number of people working from home from 5.7 percent prior to COVID-19 to nearly 18 percent by 2021. This was an increase of 19 million workers. 

By 2021, the majority of workers outside the home were men at a rate of 52 percent, while women were working from home at a rate of 51 percent. 

The number of women working from home increased in the areas of service occupations and sales, rising to 64 percent in 2021, up from 56 percent. 

Women also saw a significant increase in home-based work in occupations in the natural resources, construction and maintenance sectors at 9 percent. 

Experts believe the rapid expansion of home-based work will provide insight into learning about the relationship between working work and the workplace.