Working women hit hardest by pandemic, warns Princess Royal
THE PRINCESS ROYAL has warned that the coronavirus pandemic may have caused a “backwards slide” for women in the workplace.
She said the proportion of women working in core science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) roles, although gradually improving, remains too low at 24 per cent.
The Princess, speaking at an awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of those working in Stem, called for a doubling of efforts to highlight the profile of such “impressive women”.
She said: “Maintaining this push is even more important in the wake of the pandemic.
“Such upheavals can lead to a backwards slide, with organisations focused on keeping their businesses afloat rather than the equally important but perhaps less pressing work of maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.”
The Princess, 71, who has been the patron of Women in Science and Engineering (Wise) since 2000, noted that women currently make up almost a quarter of the core Stem workforce, a figure that has doubled over the past two decades but one that is “still much lower than we would like”.
She said it was therefore “essential” that efforts continue to raise the profile of talented women in those industries.
Highlighting a report, published by consultancy firm Mckinsey last November, she said groups such as working parents, women, LGBTQ+ employees and people of colour had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. “We therefore need to double our efforts around raising the profile of impressive women in Stem and ensure that diversity and inclusion remains high on the agenda for businesses across all Stem sectors,” she added.
“It should also be remembered that this work helps keep organisations innovative and competitive – another key reason for continuing to strive for gender balance across the sector.”
The Wise Covid Unsung Heroes awards ceremony, held at Windsor Castle on Tuesday evening, recognised the achievements of six women whose work during the pandemic had received little recognition.
The winners included Dr Amy Thomas, a research associate at the University of Bristol, who designed a saliva test that was used to swab children, and Susan Mcdonald, energy lead at Deloitte, whose work ensured at-home Covid testing was available to everyone.
The Princess praised the winners for producing “incredible work in the face of adversity” that had helped alleviate some of the worst effects of the crisis.