A Salute To Working Moms During This Pandemic

The pandemic has slowed down economies across the globe. Most of the countries are either amidst recession or are staring at one. Probably the first major recession after nearly a decade.

Did you know that during the last global recession of 2009, men lost more jobs than women? The reason was simple; there were more men in the workforce than women. There was male dominance in the industries hit hardest by the recession, like construction and manufacturing. The 2008–2009 recession was therefore widely headlined as a “Man-Cession.”

Over a decade, the composition of the global workforce has changed. More women have joined the payroll, but the pandemic is threatening to end their careers and financial independence.

The Covid19 has impacted a woman’s work-life balance. She is juggling work and caregiving duties. Schools are closed, so children are home. Daycares are also closed, so toddlers too are at home during work hours. They need care and attention, and they need food on time. Who takes care of all of this — women. It’s an unsaid and socially arranged task, and it is universal.

Whether you’re an American, Australian, Irish, African, or Indian, it is the same everywhere.

You will agree that when it comes to caregiving, a gender role reversal is an exception. The job is unpaid; it comes with no economic security. In times like these, it jeopardizes a woman’s source of livelihood — her office job.

Deloitte surveyed nearly 400 working women across countries; 82% of them said that the pandemic had disrupted their lives.

72% said they’re concerned that the pandemic may limit their career growth. This crisis has forced women to play multiple roles, juggling more than they were doing before.

They are teachers to the kids who attend classes from home, helping them cope with their online learning battle. They take care of their cognitive anxiety — the stress of not being able to go out and play or meet their friends by keeping them engaged.

The pandemic has also shut out professional caregivers, so the lady in the house is also responsible for taking care of the elderly parents at home or the specially abled. She does all this while meeting work deadlines. It’s not an easy job.

The pandemic has significantly impacted the female workforce. Women around the world are burned out. In the US alone, more than 2.3 million women have left the workforce since February. Women’s participation in the labor force has dipped to rates not seen since 1988 — lower than the 2009 recession.

According to America’s National Women’s Law Center, in Dec’2020 alone, women accounted for 100% of the jobs lost. One in four women in America is considering leaving the workforce or down-shifting their careers.

According to a Mckinsey study, women are one and a half times more likely to downshift their roles or leave the workforce because of this pandemic. This trend is also universal.

A survey by the Royal Bank of Scotland found out that 71% of businesswomen in the UK have found the pandemic extremely stressful than 45% of the male entrepreneurs.

In my country, India, the female labor force participation rate fell to 20.3% in 2020. Women accounted for 13.9% of job losses in April’2020 — that’s within a month of the beginning of a lock-down.

Experts stated that the working moms left the workforce faster than the rest.

In France, where the employment rate for women remained relatively stable during the pandemic, a survey found the working mothers putting in four additional hours per day for caregiving and domestic chores.

These women were also putting up with domestic violence; sadly, it increased 30% during the first lock-down in France.

The statistics are grim. Nearly two years into this pandemic, it has only exacerbated. Women today are not okay. Many of them need support. The question is, who is helping them?

What are governments doing?

Australia is pumping money into childcare. At least 1.7 billion US Dollars to help women return to work while state-funded care facilities take care of the children.

France chose to keep schools and daycares open during its second lock-down to help mothers return to work. Given that the initial variants of the virus did not seem to affect school-going children so much, it looked like a safe option. But not anymore; the new mutants are affecting children as well.

What about corporates? What are they doing to help women employees?

The pandemic has threatened to widen the gender pay gap. The world could lose women in leadership roles, and corporates will feel the pinch. Studies show that company profits and share performance are 50% higher when women are well represented in leadership roles.

Women in the workplace help companies embrace more employee-friendly policies — women in the workforce help in bridging gender and racial gaps.

The pandemic is threatening to put an end to generations of struggle for diversity and gender equality. Women are eleven times more unlikely to return to work when the pandemic ends.

What can we do?

Share responsibility at home

Hold her hand and tell her we are equal during these challenging times. Share responsibilities to give her more time and space. Babysit your children, help them with chores, share some duties.

Make her feel special.

You don’t require a cake or a day to make her feel special. A woman very well aware of her capabilities, but a few words of motivation are all that she needs. Appreciate her for all her sacrifices and hard work. Tell her that you are proud of her. Your encouragement and support is what will help her to keep going and chase her dreams.

This is well explained by the below quote by Eleanor Roosevelt -

A woman is like a teabag — you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

Create a more empathetic workplace

If you females in your team, please adopt an empathetic approach. Understand they are carrying a comparatively bigger burden than you. Please support them in their work and aspirations. Allow them to grow and reach new heights. Please don’t let the pandemic clip their wings.

A salute for the contribution of these women during these difficult times, as we enter Mother’s Day.