As we commemorate Women’s History Month this month, we face the sobering reality of rising unemployment in difficult economic times. As psychologists, we can deepen people’s understanding of the psychological impact of economic insecurity—and we are not immune to these pressures in our own lives. As a scholar of Black women’s workplace experiences, I am especially aware of how women have grappled with dramatic job losses reminiscent of the pandemic’s darkest days. This painful irony—celebrating women’s contributions while witnessing their disproportionate vulnerability to economic crisis—demands that we move beyond ceremonial recognition toward substantive action.
Women’s history in the American labor force is inseparable from exploitation and inequity. From enslaved women’s unpaid labor to the exclusion of domestic workers from New Deal protections in the 1930s, from wage theft affecting immigrant women to the persistent devaluation of care work, women—particularly women of color—have borne the harshest consequences of our nation’s labor practices. Today’s job losses—which don’t just affect individuals but are also projected to result in billions of dollars in loss to the gross domestic product—are not anomalies but continuations of this troubling legacy.
My 2026 Work and Wellness Presidential Initiative emerged as psychology’s answer to this historic moment. Rather than merely commemorating women’s past struggles, we will actively intervene in present crises, using women’s labor exploitation to illuminate vulnerabilities facing all workers who prioritize dignity and wellness. This comprehensive effort reclaims both the dignity of labor and the fundamental right to wellness during economic uncertainty, recognizing that true celebration requires transformation.
Drawing from APA’s 2025 Work in America Surveyopens in new window, evidence-based research, organizational partnerships, and featured programming scheduled for APA 2026 in Washington, D.C., the yearlong Work and Wellness Initiative will explore frameworks honoring the complexity of workers’ contemporary experiences. We understand that wellness cannot be separated from economic security, that psychological safety requires material stability, and that equity must be central—not peripheral—to our interventions.
While inspired by Black women’s unique labor contexts, this initiative celebrates all workers as strategic agents whose wellness and labor deserve comprehensive support, not as passive victims of economic forces.
Psychology has always been uniquely positioned to bridge individual experience and systemic change. The Work and Wellness Initiative leverages this strength, integrating psychological safety frameworks with economic analysis and historical understanding of labor abuse.
As your president, I am committed to ensuring this Women’s History Month marks not just remembrance but renewal—a rededication to transforming how we conceptualize work, wellness, and worth for those most vulnerable to economic disruption, and affirming psychology’s leadership in this vital effort.
