The plight of the "working", unemployed woman...
Homemakers and women working in their family business – this one is for you!
Imagine this…You’ve been a homemaker or working in your husband’s/the family business for 40-odd years. Now, at an age when working people usually retire, you find yourself in the midst of a divorce with no means to provide for yourself.
Are you part of the “Grey Divorce” generation?
“Grey Divorce is the term referring to the rising rate in older adults, typically from long-lasting marriages, getting divorced. The term was coined as research showed the phenomenon of the overall divorce rate going down while the “grey-haired” demographic’s rate of late-in-life divorce was on the rise. The 50+ crowd currently makes up a quarter of all divorces and 1 in 10 is 65+.” (American Bar Association, March 2022)
The backdrop:
There are many women who earned a degree or certificate 40-50 odd years ago, but they never worked in their trade. They got married and became full-time homemakers. Or they worked in the family business, fulfilling admin tasks, doing bookkeeping, managing supplies, etc.
These women don’t earn a formal salary. They have no payslips, no appointment letter, job contract, or job description to speak of... They don’t own land or property; they are not saving towards retirement. In many cases, their partner or husband prefers that they don’t work.
This is a proper definition of financial dependency.
To reference Donald. E Super’s Life-Career-Rainbow let’s look at the different roles that a person (male or female) occupies throughout their life.
What happens to these women when their husband/partner wants a divorce and doesn’t want to pay maintenance?
We conducted an interview with industrial psychologist, Dr. Lydia Cillie-Schmidt from The Talent Hub.
Lydia fulfills an essential role in assisting the court to make a ruling regarding maintenance costs during divorce proceedings. How? Through the development of an Employment Prospect and Earning Potential Report.
?According to Lydia, women in these situations are disadvantaged due to a number of reasons.
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Skill sets and age influence employability
Generic skill sets (such as admin skills) are in oversupply, and most employers would rather hire a younger person with a Matric certificate, than a 50-60-year old lady with limited computer skills.
Skills atrophy
Skills atrophy means that over time, skills that are not honed frequently become “lost”. Not every skill is like “riding a bike”.
"The research evidence suggests that when someone is unemployed long-term they become much less employable…'' (Sunday Morning Herald, June 2013) https://www.smh.com.au/national/long-term-unemployed-suffer-skills-atrophy-20130607-2nvk0.html
According to the author, the impact of skills atrophy on the long-term unemployed can include:
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According to MIT Sloan… soft skills – also referred to as power skills are more important in most jobs.
Due to advances in technology and the use of AI, certain technical tasks can now be automated. However,?skills unique to humans such as listening, empathy, collaborating, and providing empowering feedback, are becoming more critical for employees to possess.
When not practiced frequently – these skill sets deteriorate, as we’ve seen happen during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Psychologists and neuroscientists have concluded that we are subtly but inexorably losing our?facility and agility in social situations?— whether we are aware of it or not.” (MITSloan, May 2021) https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-to-address-worker-skill-gaps-in-the-return-to-work/
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Loss of social capital
As people exit the workforce, they lose “social capital” meaning that, over time, they lose their networks of other professionals that are still in the active workforce. These networks are essential to obtain and sustain employment and job opportunities.
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The Mommy Tax
Another issue impacting working women’s income is the so-called “Mommy Tax”.
Mom tax is referred to as the cost that working mothers pay due to the increased responsibilities they have when raising children and the impact that has on their earning potential and income.
According to an article published by MarketWatch.com in May 2023, 75% of caregivers today are women and they spend 50% more time on giving childcare/caring for elderly parents or a family member than their male counterparts.
Often, this means either taking time out from work or taking a backseat in terms of career opportunities. The article cites research done by a think-tank demonstrating that “the way couples divide their time between paid work and home life remains unbalanced. Women pick up a heavier load when it comes to household chores and caregiving responsibilities, while men spend more time on work and leisure.”
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There is no denying that this paints a grim picture. And, the fact is – no one gets married with the idea that it will end in divorce.
How can women in this situation change their fate?
There are a number of things that women can do to be proactive about ensuring their future.
In next week’s post, we will unpack a couple of pointers and create an overview of the services offered by Lydia Cillie-Schmidt.
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Read more about the “Grey Divorce” here:
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Read more about “Mommy Tax” here:
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