Women to gain
THE COVID-19 crisis is presenting women in the workforce with new challenges, as well as new opportunities.
Emerging evidence suggests women are facing greater economic insecurity and will be hit hardest by the economic recession.
But in the long term it is likely the pandemic will increase flexible work arrangements and lead to greater gender equality.
Studies show women working from home are feeling increased pressure to balance their professional and personal lives due to COVID-19.
A recent German study has shown that when women work from home, they take on three extra hours of childcare, while men do extra hours of overtime work.
Newgate Research’s national poll has found women are the group most concerned about COVID-19. This leaves women carrying a “triple load” during the crisis: paid work, domestic labour and the mental stress that comes from feeling responsible for the wellbeing of their family.
In the long term however, businesses embracing flexibility will lead to more women, particularly mothers, in jobs that would previously have required them to be in the office and working traditional hours.
For a long time, many women returning to work after maternity leave have been forced to reduce their hours or change roles to balance their new caretaking duties with work — a decision that often impacts their career progression. The change in mindset towards remote working and improved flexibility will see an increase in roles offering these ways of working.
In turn, this will give working mothers more options when it comes to managing careers and their families.
With so many employees working from home, employers are realising the need for more flexible working arrangements to continue once this crisis is over.
Not only will being allowed to work from home lead to an increase in women participating in the workforce, it will also open up new opportunities for those who have a disability, or those who live outside major cities and towns.
Tech giants Twitter and Facebook have both announced plans to implement a “work-from-home forever” option for their employees. Globally, flexible working arrangements are opening up a world of new opportunities for women, no matter where they are living.
Alongside the acceptance of remote working and perhaps a core part of it, is the movement towards managing staff by outcome rather than input.
It’s no longer about working a set number of hours, at a set time but about what you produce and the outcome you generate.
Managing by outcome will also benefit working mums as they will be able to fit their workload around family commitments — such as school pick-ups and drops-offs.
They can make use of early mornings or evenings, and capitalise on the saved commute time.
On average, Australian women spend 64.4 per cent of their hours each week on childcare and unpaid domestic work, compared with men who only spend 36.1 per cent of their time on these responsibilities. Globally, the inequality is even greater, with women spending 76.2 per cent of their hours on unpaid care work and men less than a quarter of that number.
However, this could become more balanced because of COVID-19. Studies show men who take parental leave are more likely to continue helping out with childcare and domestic chores even once they go back to work.
There’s some anecdotal evidence to suggest men who have had to work from home during the pandemic have been exposed to just how much goes into taking care of the kids and are now more willing to share the load.
So the division of domestic labour may be more equal between men and women after the pandemic is over. Let’s hope these changes and cultural shifts lead to greater gender equality between men and women, and significantly impact working women’s lives for the better.
Shazia Juma-Ross is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Skills and Thrills and former Global COO of Macquarie Capital.