As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it is important to acknowledge the work that has been done thus far to promote women’s equality on the professional and world stages, while also recognizing there is so much more that can be accomplished! This year’s theme of #BreaktheBias asks us to challenge our preconceived notions of stereotypes, welcome diversity, and new definitions of what it means to be a woman.
This challenge asks us to imagine a world where our differences are valued, celebrated, and included.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought many challenges to those in the workforce – businesses and employees alike, but polls have shown an even more adverse effect on women. According to an analysis by the National Women's Law Center of the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, 1.1 million women left the labor force from February 2020 to January of 2022, accounting for 63 percent of all jobs lost.
What is causing this excess attrition?
Though numerous jobs have been recovered, there is still a large gap between men that have returned to their positions versus women. From a PEW research study, among adults 25 and older who have no education beyond high school, more women have left the labor force than men; however, women who are college educated have returned to their positions more quickly. *It is important to note that during the pandemic, the wage gap between men and women has not seen an increase!
This study asked why fewer women had returned to their positions and it was based on the types of jobs held prior to the pandemic i.e. personal service, food prep and health care, that were directly affected by closures and tight mandates. The study states, “although women overall are more likely than men to be able to work remotely, they are disproportionately employed in occupations that require them to work on-site and in close proximity to others.”
Another consideration is that women are more likely to opt-in to being the one that will take care of children, sick or disabled family members and stay home. From 2020 to 2022, many families struggled finding childcare due to school closures or extended quarantine time and more often than not, women are the ones who have chosen to give up their careers to aid in the care of home and family.
Even without the stressors of the pandemic, balancing work plus home duties can be hard to manage. Businesses that created a hybrid model of in-office/work-from-home schedule during the pandemic realized keeping this option would be beneficial post-pandemic as well. About 68% of women said their preferred post-pandemic workplace would be remote, compared with 57% of men. And 80% of women ranked remote work as a top job benefit, compared with 69% of men. Many of those participating in these studies listed flexibility and control of their schedule and time saved as the biggest pros.
A growing number of businesses are also reconsidering how they support their female counterparts. I.e., can we offer new/better childcare options? Flexible scheduling? Paid maternity leave (separate from state requirements)? As of today, the United States is the only wealthy nation to not have paid parental leave on a national level. The professional sector has made decent strides but can still do so much more to support women in the workforce. We can and should do better.
We believe that when you engage your employees with a mindset of flexibility and work-life balance as core values, you will create a more enjoyable and productive work environment. At IA Solutions, we pledge to continue to explore the boundaries and potential of virtualized work in an effort to create a more diversified and inclusive workspace for everyone.
To learn more about how you can support the women in your workplace or donate to a great cause, please visit the official International Women’s Day homepage.
International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.
IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group, or organization specific.
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Fundraising
Sources:
More Resources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/02/08/january-jobs-report-women/
https://theharrispoll.com/diversity-inclusion-workplace-state-of-inequity-hue-2022/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/valuing-women-s-work-and-the-value-of-working-women/