9 Keys To Inclusive Economic Recovery For All Women
From Top Left to Right: Maria Doughty; Heidi Stevens; Cherita Ellens. Bottom Left to Right: Karin Novington-Reaves, Anna Warshaw, Felicia Davis.
Women were hit the hardest in the pandemic economically and women can reshape the recovery “to build back better,” says Cherita Ellens, president and CEO of Women Employed.
“#Women were hit the hardest in the #pandemic economically and women can reshape the #recovery “to build back better,” says @CheritaEllens, president and CEO of @WomenEmployed. #Shecession #womenleaders”
Ellen was one of six women leaders who set out to offer as many solutions as possible in one lunch hour zoom panel sponsored by the Chicago Foundation for Women in the recent, “Rising Above The Shecession: Concrete Steps To Ensure Women Emerge Stronger.”
Moderated by Chicago Tribune columnist Heidi Stevens, the session was an antidote to the common practice of “hearing the dire statistics and the dire long term efforts, but not hearing solutions.”
“The pandemic has set women back more than three decades to levels last seen in 1988,” says Ellens. “In 2020, women lost 5 million jobs and 55% of all job losses.” What is needed is to know “what we can do to support working women and emerge stronger.”
The U.S. Department of Labor reports job losses in December of 140,000. “But the losses weren’t equal among all races,” according to WWLP.com. “Black unemployment peaked in April 2020 at 16.7%. It’s now at 9.9%. Comparatively, White unemployment peaked at 14.1% and is now at 6%.”
The report continues, “But it’s not just large industries that has seen job loss. According to the Stanford Institute For Economic Policy Research, between February and April 2020 the number of Black small business owners dropped by 41%, the highest decline of any race group.”
According to the New York Times, “The so-called labor force participation rate hovered at 61.4 percent last month, the Labor Department said, little changed from December and down from 63.3 percent in February 2020, just before the crisis took hold.”
Individuals, organizations, communities and policy makers are addressing the gendered effect of COVID on the economy and projecting strategies for recovery.
The San Diego news station KPBS reports, “Among all races, women seem to have borne the brunt of the economic impact of COVID-19, something that may continue to affect their careers and lives for years to come.
Business, community and nonprofit organizations across the country are trying to assess the damage and find out what we’ve learned from this disaster that could help women recover.
in Chicago, Maria Doughty, President and CEO of The Chicago Network, noted that the hardest hit sectors of education, leisure, hospitality and healthcare support profoundly affected women.
“Women are pulled out of the workforce, while men are pushed out,” says Karin M. Norington-Reaves, CEO of The Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership. “There is an over-representation of Black and Brown women in high touch, high exposure industries and we have to address job loss and the disproportionate responsibilities of women.”
And while the effects of COVID-19 have been catastrophic to millions of women, “the pandemic presents the opportunity to do real work to shift those dynamics to put women into fields in demand tomorrow,” says Ellens.
“And while the effects of #COVID19 have been catastrophic to millions of women, “the pandemic presents the opportunity to do real work to shift those dynamics to put women into fields in demand tomorrow,” says @CheritaEllens. #Shecession”
“There has to be a shift in the paradigm of the workplace, and we have to get employers to create workplace environments that are accommodating and flexible,” says Norington-Reaves.
The realities of caretaking of family members and at home schooling for children is forcing women out of the workforce, says Doughty. “If women are stepping back the pipeline for leadership roles starts narrowing. It is a major problem because these are roles where systemic, organizational decisions are made. So there will not be a robust pipeline for women to come into the C-suite.”
Felicia Davis, President and CEO of Chicago Foundation for Women, says the pandemic succeeded in forcing organizations and employers into creating flexible work environments. “They were forced to make concessions and create opportunities to allow for work/life integration,” Davis says.
“Felicia Davis, @SouthSideGrl312, President and CEO of @ChiFdn4Women, says the pandemic succeeded in forcing organizations and employers into creating flexible work environments. #postCOVID #workplace”
Read more in Take The Lead on post-COVID workplaces
So what can organizations and individuals do to make the future better than the present and the past?
Create new policies. Whether creating a pool of time that all employees can contribute to or providing long-term and short-term care and health insurance, employers need to make sure policies make this new mode of work possible, Davis says.
Promote well-being around productivity. “We surveyed 300 women and found that all the women had an overwhelming feeling of guilt,” says Annie Warshaw, CEO and Co-Founder of Mission Propelle. While productivity may be high, “employees need to feel validated and heard and you need to redefine what productivity means.” She suggests shifting conversation around time to conversations on projects and outcomes. “Trust women can get things done,” Warshaw says.
“Promote #wellbeing around #productivity. “We surveyed 300 women and found that all the women had an overwhelming feeling of guilt,” says Annie Warshaw, CEO and Co-Founder of @Missionpropelle. She suggests shifting conversation around time to conversations on projects and outcomes.”
Read more in Take The Lead on mental wellness during COVID
Rethink communications systems and meetings. Constant emails and messaging may not be optimal, nor are all-day meetings. “Allow for flexibility and offer unlimited paid time off,” says Norington-Reaves. Offering retail workers and shift workers predictable scheduling will ease their burdens. “Honor that people have full lives outside of work.”
Remove barriers to PTO. Do not require explanations before granting paid time off, says Davis. “The reason is the reason. Stop explaining why we need to take the time off.”
“Remove barriers to PTO. Do not require explanations before granting #paidtimeoff, says Davis, @SouthSideGrl312. “The reason is the reason. Stop explaining why we need to take the time off.” #workplace #wellness”
Align your practices with your values. Provide childcare subsidies, homeschooling tutoring; “many organizations have a set of polices for the corporate office another set of policies for those in the field,” says Ellens. “Look at the policies so all working people have the same level of dignity.”
Offer resource groups. Provide space, place and time for women to speak up. “Women need to know it’s ok to ask for help,” says Doughty. “Employers and leaders need to model that behavior. Offer employee wellness phone trees, programs to manage stress, review the performance reviews,” Doughty says.
“Offer resource groups. Provide space, place and time for women to speak up. “Women need to know it’s ok to ask for help,” says Maria Doughty, CEO of @TCNChicago. “Employers and #leaders need to model that behavior.” #genderequity”
Read more in Take The Lead on pandemic parenting
Provide tools.”Have conversations around what employees do need and how do you provide them tools to live life sustainably,” says Warshaw. “Make sure the policies are not creating more burdens.” Helping to manage stress is also a key resource tool, says Norington-Reaves. “Make sure people are not fearful of repercussions or are afraid to ask for help and fear how others will perceive them.”
Speak up. As a leader and as an individual employee, make sure your voice is heard. “You have not because you ask not,” says Norington-Reaves. “The opportunity in the pandemic is to amplify voices.” Doughty adds, “Women leaders need to share that vulnerability.”
“Speak up. As a leader and as an individual employee, make sure your voice is heard. “The opportunity in the #pandemic is to amplify voices,” says @ChiCookWorksCEO. Doughty adds, “Women leaders need to share that vulnerability.” #womenleaders”
Do your part for pay equity. Whether it is to pay fairly for childcare, to tip service workers well or advocate for fair pay, ask yourself, “In what ways am I contributing to the inequity of pay to other women?” Davis says. “We touch many people and we can have an impact. Own that responsibility.”
Take a stand. “Be an advocate, ally and take the time to learn about issues,” says Norington-Reaves. That also includes supporting organizations and possibly volunteering for organizations that “do right by their employees,” says Ellens. Doughty adds, ”Make sure you partner with organizations that create the culture changes you want to see.”
Support nonprofits. “Think about what we can do collectively,” says Davis. What an individual accomplishes is noteworthy, but there is also momentum in working together and supporting efforts already in place.
As a leader of an organization, entrepreneur, individual or ally, women moving into the economic recovery following the disastrous effects of COVID, Norington-Reaves says, concentrate on the change for the future. “Whatever the ‘it’ is, do it scared. Just move forward.”
“As #leader of an organization, entrepreneur, individual or ally, women moving into the #economic #recovery following the disastrous effects of COVID, @ChiCookWorksCEO says, concentrate on the change for the #future. “Whatever the ‘it’ is, do it scared. Just move forward.””
