03/23/2026
Approximately 300,000 to over 350,000 Black women left the workforce or lost their jobs in 2025, driven by federal layoffs, rollback of DEI programs, and economic shifts.
The unemployment rate for Black women increased from 5.4% to 7.3% by December 2025, the highest among demographic groups.
Source: CBS News
Key drivers
• Public sector job cuts, including Education and Health and Human Services
• Retreat from corporate DEI initiatives
• AI-influenced hiring shifts
• Ongoing labor force disruption since the pandemic
Approximately 518,000 Black women have not returned to the labor force since the pandemic began, with thousands more leaving in 2025.
Source: CBS News
This moment is not only disruption.
It is redirection.
A time for:
pivoting
upskilling
rebranding
reimagining what comes next
B.A.D.D.I.E.s Over 40™ × FemTech Forward is creating the room, the space, the stage.
📍 May 7 | Atlanta
If you have an idea that leverages technology to improve women’s health across the lifespan, this is your opportunity to explore it.
You do not need a fully built company.
You need curiosity and vision.
🎤 Secure a demo spot
🎟️ Attend and get in the room
📩 Sponsors: message to provide scholarship spots for Black women innovators
📣 Share with someone pivoting into their next chapter
Your next trajectory can start here.
https://bit.ly/FemTechDemoATL