Women at Work
March is Women’s History Month. In our blogs and our newsletter this month, we are looking at the impact women in history have made but also at women making a difference now. This chapter in our month-long journey focuses on the current state of women at work.
Early in the pandemic, more women lost jobs than men—especially women who worked in jobs that required them to be in close proximity to others. The good news is that women are returning to work at a faster rate than men.
This wasn’t expected by economists but is certainly welcome news. According to a Washington Post article on February 23, 2023, some of the reasons why women are returning to work include:
Schools are open.
Organizations are offering flexible work arrangements.
Tight labor market has created increased job opportunities.
Many organizations have increased salaries.
These trends, however, apply primarily to college educated knowledge workers. Women who work in service industries still face barriers to return to work—in part because jobs in that sector don’t lend themselves working from home.
There is one issue that should be addressed—the lack of paid sick leave. This impacts all US workers but especially women who work in service industries.
Women are returning to work, but all is not well. The 8th annual Women in the Workplace study released in late 2022 by McKinsey and Lean In, looked at women in 333 organizations worldwide and discovered that women are poised to leave their workplaces in order to get what they need from work. While this is especially true of higher-level women, it should be a wakeup call to organizations.
Women are still facing issues that should have been wiped out long ago. For example, while the women surveyed were as ambitious as their male counterparts, they are leaving or planning to leave their current job because of lack of promotions. They are still being subjected to microaggressions including having their judgment questioned publicly, or being taken for junior staffers and being asked to get coffee for men or take notes in meetings. These issues are especially impactful to women of color.
Senior level women are leaving organizations for workplaces that offer flexibility and take DEI seriously. They are joining organizations who are focused on employee well-being.
One of the challenges surfaced by this data is this: since women are already unrepresented in senior leadership positions, as they leave the workplace, not only does the organization lose current women, they also lose the pipeline of future female talent. And you can be sure that younger women are watching the exodus of their mentors and role models.
America’s working women have a lot to be positive about as we recover from the pandemic. But there is more to do including affordable childcare as well as paid sick leave that will benefit all working families. Let’s celebrate our successes but continue to work toward workplaces that value their workers equally.
Happy Women’s History month to all.