1 in 3 women thought of quitting job in pandemic
Canada-wide poll shows stress of juggling children, family and work weighs heavily
One in three Canadian women has considered quitting her job due to the pressures of managing child care and other home responsibilities during the pandemic, a new survey shows.
The cross-country poll, conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights, surveyed more than 1,000 adults and found two-thirds of respondents — both men and women — report finding it stressful managing children, family and work during the COVID -19 crisis. However, a third of women have considered quitting their jobs, compared to less than 20 per cent of men.
The poll was commissioned by The Prosperity Project, a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization conceived by 62 female leaders from across the country. The organization, which aims to ensure Canadian women are not left behind in the COVID -19 recovery, advocates for policy solutions such as a national child-care strategy and also aims to shed light on other barriers women face, such as disproportionately bearing the load of household tasks such as grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.
“These results are disturbing,” Prosperity Project founder Pamela Jeffery said, adding the survey also shows more women than men report being laid off or losing work hours or pay due to the pandemic. “I think it’s a cry for help. We need governments to act now, we need companies to act now, and we need to as Canadians have honest conversations about the workload at home.”
The poll backs up research that already is available about the disproportionate toll the pandemic is taking on women. According to the Alberta Business Council, when the pandemic began, women accounted for 53 per cent of the 361,000 lost jobs across Alberta, despite making up just 46 per cent of the workforce. The female unemployment rate surged above the male rate for the first time in nearly two years, and labour force participation among Alberta women plunged to its lowest level since the 1980s. This was largely because women make up the bulk of employees within hard-hit sectors such as accommodation, food services and retail.
Early evidence suggests that women have been recovering relatively well, said Mike Holden, chief economist for the Alberta Business Council. On the whole, female employment growth in Alberta has outpaced male employment since April, he said.
However, because women lost so much ground in the previous two months, they have not yet fully caught up to men in the recovery. And Holden said because women bore a disproportionate burden at the outset of the economic shutdown, any future outbreaks of the virus — whether in work settings, schools, daycares or elsewhere — are likely to have the same effect.
Holden said that’s why the first priority needs to be minimizing potential outbreaks through stringent public health measures. He said the business council also believes child care needs to be part of the COVID -19 economic recovery plan.
“We have to make sure we have access to affordable child care for women who want to be working,” he said. “Whether it’s federal or provincial, to lower the cost of daycare and increase the number of spaces has to be at the top of our list.”
Murray Sigler, interim CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said a survey confirming that one in three women has considered exiting the workforce due to COVID -19 comes as no surprise to him.
“It confirms what we’ve been hearing anecdotally from many of our members for months. It’s extremely concerning to us, because our economic recovery is going to be dependent on opportunities for all of our population,” Sigler said.
Sigler said most businesses recognize the damage that would result if they were to lose a significant portion of their female employees. He said it’s up to employers to be proactive by making accommodations during this difficult time, such as continuing to allow working parents the flexibility to work from home.
He said governments also need to apply a gender-based lens to their economic recovery plans, or all Albertans and Canadians will suffer.
“That’s certainly the case in Calgary. There are so many issues facing our economy right now ... we’ve got businesses that are fighting to survive,” he said. “We can’t afford to have half our workforce disadvantaged.”