After Hurricane Katrina, Moms Built New Lives By Building Homes

This story was originally reported by Jessica Kutz of The 19th . Meet Jessica and read more of her reporting on gender, politics and policy .

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, it wiped out the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people. But one industry thrived by necessity in the aftermath: demolition, debris removal and construction — the building trades in which men comprise 96 percent of the workforce. By contrast, women, who made up the majority of the tourism and hospitality services that were hit hardest by the storm, saw precipitous drops in employment.

Gender inequalities were amplified. Before the storm, many women — particularly Black women and single mothers — were trapped in low-wage jobs, and they didn’t have the necessary resources to g