Women’s Careers and the Pandemic, What we’re seeing.

A Wall Street Journal article examining the impact of the Coronavirus Crisis on women’s careers had this to say about our current job market, “While women are 47% of the U.S. labor force, they accounted for 54% of initial coronavirus-related job losses and still make up 49% of them, according to McKinsey & Co.”

In times of economic recession, women are often disproportionately affected, facing setbacks or stifled career growth, and the current situation is no different, women are, in fact, being affected. But, in 2020, those impacts are even further reaching. 

Currently, women are paying the price, economically, socially, and emotionally. Women are overburdened with childcare, schooling, and managing the intricacies of “living where we work”, ultimately trying to be everything to everyone. We’re seeing a lot of situations where women are having to choose.  

Work or family? Stay home to help with school or work to have money to put dinner on the table? Or maybe the choice is to help with school from 8-3 and then work from 4-11. Women are pulling double and triple duty just to keep up, and don’t have the time to rest up or work to get ahead. 

What concerns me about the current crisis is that many women don’t have the option to prioritize themselves or their careers. Many women I talk to are just trying to maintain the status quo, and make sure our families are safe and have the necessities of life.

Women are, by nature, resilient. Many times in the past, when women have been affected by a down economy and the opportunities for advancement seem to dry up in front of us, we are forced us to be more resourceful. After the 2008 recession, women were one of the primary drivers of economic growth developing new businesses and carving out niches for themselves to build their own success. 

Prior to the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the workforce participation gap between men and women aged 25-54 was the smallest it’s ever been, with less women staying home to care for families. But now the data shows that women are dropping out of the workforce in droves as a result of increased obligations from the pandemic. The Philadelphia Inquirer shares some interesting insights on the impacts of this trend, not just for women, but for the economy as a whole.

Where do we go from here? 

As Alphas, we’re always preparing for what’s next, so 2020 has been particularly hard for us planers and organizers. There are many factors that may feel out of our control. My biggest piece of advice is to create small pockets of time that you can be in control of. Carve out time for yourself, even if it’s early in the morning or late at night. 

Take time to relax and rejuvenate.

Invest in yourself. 

Prepare for the next steps, even if you’re not sure when they will come. 

Stay connected, we need community. 

And finally, remember that every day is an opportunity to learn. Take time to think about what lessons each day can bring, even if those lessons are patience, understanding or acceptance. 

If you are carving out time for yourself and have a goal of pushing yourself forward, one step at a time, check out my Alpha Scoring Guide. Score yourself then work at your own pace through the action items to push yourself into the next phase of Alpha. Learn from other Alphas in my book Pound On!! Or reach out to me for a one-on-one coaching session and we can work through some of your personal challenges and celebrate some of your personal wins. 

We’re all in this together, so let’s Pound On!!

Posted in

Leave a Comment





READY TO JOIN THE AlphaWoman Community?

News, updates, events and more, directly to your inbox!

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.