WORKING TO FIND A BETTER WORK LIFE

WOMEN LOST 1 MILLION MORE JOBS THAN MEN LAST YEAR. LET’S FIX THAT.

Pandemic shutdowns left more women unemployed than men as those with jobs juggled more demands than ever before: employment, child care and personal safety. Below three women write about a more flexible and accommodating work environment, the freedoms that are denied women in Iran and a crisis in child care.

For as long as we have been keeping track (and certainly before), women have faced employment inequities, in opportunity, education pathways and, of course, wages. So it is no surprise that during the pandemic women were disproportionately impacted by layoffs and job loss, causing what many have dubbed a “Shecession.”

While the play on words is cute, the reality it represents is not. In December 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women lost 156,000 jobs while men gained 16,000. Women ended the year with 5.4 million fewer jobs than they had in February prior to the pandemic while men lost 4.4 million in that time frame. This is largely because traditionally female-dominated sectors — education, hospitality and retail — took the biggest hit, and continued to decline, as stayat-home orders swept our nation.

Additionally, many women in the workforce are also balancing the challenges of motherhood.

Women make up 94 percent of U.S. workers involuntarily working part-time due to childcare needs. Too often, our female employees are expected to juggle the duties of work, child care and home. And when the pandemic turned our world upside down, it has predominantly been women who shifted their schedules, worked from home with their children learning or playing in the background of their Zoom screen, or left their jobs all together.

With increased access to the vaccines, we are seeing COVID-19 restrictions continue to lift across the state. While we are turning a corner in the right direction, I can’t help but think we will see some permanent changes in the world of work as we know it.

We have proven that remote work is effective and productive. Hybrid virtual/in-person schedules will, and should, be the new norm. As will flexible hours. While I used to work traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. hours, I now work 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to accommodate child-care coverage, and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. after my

STEVE BREEEN U-T