It’s time to add the word “she-cession’ to the ever-growing glossary of vocabulary born out of the Covid-19 crisis.
In response to being disproportionately hit by the pandemic, women are leaving the workforce altogether at an alarming rate.
In the UK, there were 117,000 fewer women employed in October to December 2020, than the same period in the previous year. In the US, 300,000 women dropped out of the workforce in September 2021. Even at a top-level there are signs of a she-session. In the FTSE 100, the number of women in C-suite roles has decreased from 14.2% in 2020 to 13.5% in 2021.
According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, mothers are 1.5 times more likely than fathers to have either lost their job or quit since the start of the first lockdown. At the same time, more than 1 million women in the UK could be forced out of their jobs this year because their employers are failing to support them as they go through the menopause, researchers have said.
Why now?
You may wonder why women are leaving the workforce when the worst of the pandemic is seemingly behind us.
But LinkedIn’s UK country manager, Janine Chamberlin, says a major factor in the "she-cession" is that women are much more likely than men to take a step back in their career to balance the demands of a household.
Despite hopes that the collective experience of working from home would level the playing field, evidence suggests it had the opposite effect. Taking on the lion's share of household responsibilities during the pandemic - 7.7 hours a week more than men - has had a ripple effect for working women.
Although offices have re-opened in a hybrid capacity, the increased load of unpaid labour has undoubtedly woven its way into women’s new normal. As a result, burned out women are re-evaluating the role work plays in their lives and ring-fencing their time.
Plus, for reasons ranging from child-rearing to managing menopause symptoms, research consistently shows that women are more likely than men to take advantage of remote working. So unsurprisingly, men who are largely free of these burdens are benefiting from proximity bias - leaving female employees feeling deflated, undervalued and ready to hand in their notice.
“Right now employers have a real opportunity”
Flexibility is key to retaining your female staffers, Chamberlin stresses. “Flexibility isn't just about doing your work in an office or at home, it’s also about when can you do your best work”, she says.
In addition to embracing a hybrid work pattern, employers should empower their staff to fit their work demands around their life. Because, really, the two worlds have blended.
Cast your mind back to Professor Robert Kelly’s BBC interview which went viral in 2017 for being gatecrashed by his child. The blooper is now a common occurrence on virtual meetings. Keep it up, Chamberlin says.
By role-modelling behaviour that allows real life to merge with work, without being labelled as unprofessional, organisations can help curb women dropping out in droves.
In the long-term, leaders need to be intentional in ensuring female workers have access to the same growth in their career as their male counterparts. Chamberlin recommends leaders evaluate how they’re investing in talent.
She says employers need to ask themselves: “How do we make sure that stretch opportunities are going to be offered to everyone, regardless of where they work, rather than just handing them to the person in front of you in the office.”
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