Parenthood and a pandemic – a perfect storm for change

The pandemic has had a devastating effect on gender inequality with statistics demonstrating that more women than men have lost their jobs, and the burden of unpaid care through lockdown has been disproportionately carried out by females. Today we celebrate International Women’s Day and highlight the achievements of women as well as the barriers they still face. Here, Co-Founder of This is Glow Abbie Jackson looks at the negative and positive consequences of the radical impact of Covid-19 on working mothers.

Chloe had just returned to work from maternity leave when the pandemic struck. The London-based marketing director took on an impossible juggling act between career and childcare, eventually taking voluntary redundancy.

Meanwhile, Gemma resigned from her role in IT two weeks into lockdown to look after her three children so that her husband could protect his higher paying job.

And Isla found herself working 16-hour days trying to make sure work didn’t suffer, her kids were home-schooled, and dinner was on the table by 7pm.

Then there was Louise.

She was a busy mother of two, making ￡40,000 a year as a director of a communications company when she had a disagreement with her boss when she asked to adapt her working hours around her children.

Shortly after this she was furloughed and within months, she had turned her printmaking hobby into a business, embracing her new-found flexibility.

She never returned to her job and this year her company turned over ￡155,000.

Louise is not the norm. Nor is she a guilt-trip for other working mums who haven’t managed to turn the pandemic to their advantage or transform a leisure pursuit into a money-making venture.

But what she does do is offer a little sliver of light for all of us who have experienced more than a year of sacrifices and may be trying to regain momentum.

A woman’s work is never done

Let’s first look at the negative consequences of the pandemic on working mothers.

It is fair to say here that, although the pandemic affected us all, women’s jobs and career prospects were disproportionately hit.

Statistics show that while females make up 39% of the global workforce, they accounted for 54% percent of job losses during 2020/21.

McKinsey’s?Covid 10 and gender equality report found that one of the key reasons for this was the amount of unpaid care that fell on the shoulders of women during the crisis.

So I suppose it should come as no surprise then, with these extra responsibilities, that 133,000 more women than men were furloughed across the UK between March & August 2020, and that a?survey?of working mothers found that 65% of those furloughed cited a lack of childcare as the reason.?

Necessity is the mother of all invention

After those statistics, you’d be forgiven for wondering how on Earth I’m planning to present any positives here but bear with me.

The truth of the matter is that women are extremely resilient and resourceful creatures.

And as a result, it seems to be females leading global growth of entrepreneurship.

In the UK, the number of registered companies increased by 30% year on year in November and December 2020, according to the National Statistical Office while start-ups have grown in the double-digit values since June.

Professional women’s network?AllBright?found that 61% of its members had made – or considering making - a career change as a result of the pandemic and two thirds planned to invest in upskilling themselves to better their career options.??

Career coaching – particularly with working parents – concentrates on maximising skills, embracing opportunities and looking for ways to adapt or enhance your focus.

But I also deal with coaching leaders on how to manage teams and employees to get the best out of their staff – even in challenging circumstances.

And this leads me, briefly, back to Louise.

Louise changed not only what she did for a living – but how she did it. Working around her children she managed to tap into her other talents, explore and embrace opportunity in a crisis and find her own work life balance.

But perhaps Louise’s employer wouldn’t have lost her had they been more accommodating.

And this leads me to the final issue here – that while an increase in women upskilling and pursuing new careers is part of the solution to the detrimental impact the pandemic has had on working mothers, the industry and employers also need to make some changes.

A message to the boss

In Manpower Groups ‘What Workers Want’?survey?of 8,000 people in eight countries, 43% of all those interviewed said they believe the pandemic marks the end of full-time work in the office.

And a significant 80% across all age groups, genders and career stages said they wanted more opportunity to work remotely for a better work/life balance – many citing childcare as an issue.

Though not a new problem, the lack of workplace flexibility experienced during the pandemic has eclipsed any progress made towards achieving gender equality in the workforce.

So, it’s in the best interest of organisations, across all sectors, to commit to providing benefits that better accommodate working mothers.

This is something championed by FlexAppeal, run by Anna Whitehouse – also known as Mother Pukka - which has campaigned for flexible working rights since 2015.

Anna quit her job after she requested to start work 15 minutes earlier so she could pick up her child from nursery and was denied because her employer didn’t want to “open the floodgates” to others seeking flexibility.

And sadly, things haven’t moved on sufficiently since then according to a recent survey by the Trades if Union Congress which found that half of the UK’s working mothers do not get the flexibility they ask for, while those that do work flexibly face discrimination.

My advice to business owners right now is to broaden your horizons post-pandemic so you can retain talent and widen your pool of potential employees.

With a more flexible approach you could be instrumental in bridging the divide between men and women in the workforce and helping working mothers break through some of those glass ceilings we still struggle with.

And the benefits for you will be huge as productivity increases and you create a loyal and diverse workforce with improvements to employee mental, physical and financial health paying dividends in terms of advocacy and outputs.

If you would like help assessing your company’s capabilities to alter its mindset and improve its approach, contact us today – www.thisisglow.co.uk