The COVID19 pandemic smashed the illusion of gender equality into a billion tiny pieces. When the pandemic first hit, women were hit the hardest, many of them losing their jobs. Women became overrepresented when it came to layoffs because of the types of jobs that they were in, such as hospitality, leisure, and retail.
After a year and a half and economic recovery, women still face many challenges. For example, women of colour still face an unemployment rate 1.5 times higher than white women, and younger women face an ever-growing pessimism about gender equality in the workplace. Moreover, women under the age of 35 feel fewer opportunities and more challenges to equality than their older counterparts.
Millions of women who managed to keep their jobs at work took a backseat to caregiving and household responsibilities. This work overwhelmingly fell into the hands of women rather than the men in their households. Not all women have faced similar challenges. Women of colour, mothers, and younger women have been set back more than established, white women.
women of colour
Several factors limit women of colour from being promoted into leadership roles, including double standards, microaggressions, and unconscious bias. For example, women of colour feel it’s harder to grow their careers. They have to work harder and better than men to get recognition, and men than other women more support them. In addition, 72% of women of colour feel that they’re told they have equal opportunities as men, but it’s not true.
Only 6 out of 10 women of colour feel a sense of belonging at their employer and that their employer provides a safe space to discuss topics that impact their life. Managers are obviously to blame for many of the roadblocks affecting women of colour. In a McKinsey and Leanin.org study, women of colour were less likely to receive mentoring and sponsorship critical for advancement and typically report to bosses who fail to promote their work contributions to others. These obstacles often leave women of colour out of the "informal networks that propel most high-potentials forward in their careers.”
working mothers and parents
There has been an exodus of mothers leaving the workforce during the pandemic. Several factors contribute to this: mothers are given childcare responsibilities and education, despite both parents working from home. Because women are expected to put family first, those women who have remained in the workforce have found it increasingly difficult to navigate. A staggering 55% of working mothers feel like they ‘live to work’ rather than ‘work to live.’
Increased household responsibilities have forced many working mothers—especially women of colour—to scale back on their hours or leave the workforce entirely during the pandemic, further widening economic and racial disparities. In addition, 60% of working mothers feel that the idea you can ‘have it all’ is more aspirational than realistic. With more people returning to the office, the flexibility of working from home may cause mothers to sacrifice their careers for their childcare responsibilities.
young women
Women, young women, in particular, are becoming incredibly more pessimistic about gender equality in the workplace. Younger women feel that the pace of change has been slowing down despite the growing awareness of gender biases in the workplace. Women are still not being offered the same opportunities as men. Around 47% of younger women feel like they have to work harder than men to be recognized for their effort. This growing trend has younger women being much less optimistic about their futures than older women.
Younger women have heard repeatedly from employers that they have the same opportunities as men but felt this wasn’t the case. 45% of young women think that growing their business/career is more complicated because they are women. They admit that they will stay with a company but feel unmotivated to reach for a promotion because women know they will likely be unsuccessful.
bridging the gap
Intersectionality looks at women’s various layers of identity, but not all women have been impacted equally. So how can bringing women colour, parents, and younger women back into the picture help them? There are two significant benefits that women are looking for from their employers. The first is a benefits package that allows employees greater access to a paid day off, and the second is flexible work hours and work-from-home policies.
Employers need to take actionable steps to help these women not be left behind in the workforce. In addition, there needs to be actionable to promote and support women of colour, parents, and younger women.