In a work environment that is constantly changing amidst a global pandemic, there is room to re-examine our skills as professionals and how we want to push society forward. Times of great disruption can result in great change, but only if we have the skills to do so.
Public Relations is often noted for the large number of women making up its workforce. At the same time, many of these same firms and companies are largely run by men. According to the IPRA, this disparity is often boiled down to how leadership decisions are made, family planning and strong existing networks between men. But how can these interconnected barriers be addressed?
Leading Women is a company dedicated to solving systemic problems of gender inequality within individual businesses. They recently partnered with the company Leading NOW and together will broaden their research on the effect of gender in the workplace. Leading NOW is a firm that focuses not only on gender dynamics, but on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion as well. Leading Women makes individualized plans for businesses allowing them to directly address gender barriers within their work environments.
According to the 2020 McKinsey study on women in the workplace, “more than one in four women are contemplating… downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce completely.” As a result of the loss of supportive infrastructure such as affordable daycare, many women are left with fewer and fewer options for managing their daily lives. Women are forced to prioritize their families over work. Adding racial disparities to the mix, the pandemic and dissolution of societal structure disproportionately affect Black women. These factors are detrimental to the advancement of women in the workplace.
The work being done by Leading Women and similar companies becomes exponentially more important during a time of such great uncertainty. The organization works with women to overcome existing barriers within their workplace and more importantly, they assist men in becoming allies. Communication work is most effective when individuals can come together to create cohesive projects resulting in success. This can’t happen if only some people’s basic needs are being met and if empathy is not being practiced within the work environment.
The same McKinsey study asserts that, “If companies make significant investments in building a more flexible and empathetic workplace—they can retain the employees most affected by today’s crises and nurture a culture in which women have equal opportunity to achieve their potential over the long term.” This information isn’t offered without guidance either. The McKinsey study shows that some of the main pressure factors are a lack of flexibility at work combined with increasing expectations at home.
Responsibilities within the household have only become more complex as the pandemic has continued. Not only are women now unable to separate their family lives from their work, but they feel unable to vocalize this struggle. Many have to support their children’s learning while at the same time attempting to maintain pre-pandemic productivity remotely. In order to keep women in the workplace we must give them that space to be heard, and apply the knowledge we have to truly support them. This is how we can promote female leadership, and take further strides in building equity.
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace#
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-women-joins-leading-now-301160583.html
A well written and extremely relevant piece. I would love to read a follow up “ Next steps” article giving a proposed call to action.