The last two years have been a difficult chapter in women\u2019s history. The pandemic made it clear that the world of work was never set up to support women, especially when times get tough. And we were reminded that women\u2019s health\u2014both physical and mental\u2014is still so taboo that women often don\u2019t get the care they need.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What’s more, women in the work are underrepresented and sometimes still discriminated, even though companies who have gender diversity on their executive teams were 15% more likely to experience above-average profits<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, we have a proposal for how to truly honor International Women\u2019s Day, Women\u2019s History Month and women’s health all year round. Let\u2019s come together to make practical, long-overdue changes for working women.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the beginning, the pandemic upended childcare options, and women bore most of the burden. They found themselves with the herculean task of managing work and childcare at home. Many struggled to patch together scarce childcare resources so they could go out to work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For some, the balancing act wasn\u2019t sustainable\u20143.5 million women have left the workforce since the start of the pandemic.1<\/sup> Among them, 32% say they left because of childcare.2<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who didn\u2019t leave, pandemic parenting took a toll on mental health. Nearly 60% of employees of childbearing age say they\u2019ve experienced burnout recently.3<\/sup> And Ovia\u2019s depression screener data<\/a> reveals how deep those problems run for working mothers, especially first-time and BIPOC mothers. Comparing data before and during the pandemic, we found that: <\/p>\n\n\n\n These numbers reveal a pre-existing condition. In the US, mothers have always faced unequal burdens at work. Often, women who go on maternity leave or take time to pick up their children from school or take them to doctor appointments report losing out on big projects and promotions. In extreme cases, they may get fired after announcing a pregnancy. But even when things go relatively smoothly, the culture of work can wear women down. They\u2019re exhausted from the many daily reminders that parenting is considered a nuisance in the workplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest day-to-day challenges for working mothers are the return-to-work process, a stigma surrounding women\u2019s health issues and bodies, and lack of leave. Here\u2019s how the pandemic made these things even harder\u2014and what we can do to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the best of times, returning to work after maternity leave is stressful, especially when managers aren\u2019t supportive, and when women don\u2019t have options for gradual re-entry. But over the last two years, new mothers heading back to work felt even more alone. According to Ovia\u2019s analysis of almost 3000 parents on how COVID-19 has impacted return to work, 68.8% of working parents reported feeling like they had less support from friends, family, and work as a result of the pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Without support networks, many parents had to change their RTW plans. 80% had planned to return as soon as their leave was up, but only 44% were able to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As you\u2019d imagine, mothers were usually the ones to delay\u201456% of women weren\u2019t able to return as planned compared to only 12.8% of men. Among those who changed their RTW plans, 26.8% delayed their return to work or quit entirely, while 14.5% returned remotely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Among parents who delayed their return, COVID-19 was a one of the biggest factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respondents were clear that they needed more flexibility<\/em> to make return-to-work possible: nearly 60% said they would be more likely to return, and return faster, if they had remote or flexible hybrid options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At nearly every stage of life, our culture stigmatizes women\u2019s bodies. So it\u2019s no wonder that so many women are uncomfortable talking about the health concerns that impact their happiness and professional productivity\u2014things like pregnancy loss, PCOS, endometriosis, period pain, pregnancy health issues, and menopause. And since few people are talking about them, it\u2019s easy for companies to believe that these issues are simply too niche; that they don\u2019t need attention or support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But that fact is, supporting women\u2019s health isn\u2019t niche at all\u2014it\u2019s about addressing the needs of 52% of the population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And amidst the Great Reassessment\u2014as many women have realized that they need better benefits to balance work and family\u2014employers can no longer afford to ignore women\u2019s health. In fact, in Ovia\u2019s recent family-friendly benefits survey<\/a> of 2,919 parents, 90% said they would likely leave their employer for a position with better benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So what can employers do to help keep and attract talent? They can offer benefits that meet women\u2019s needs, including quality support for fertility and physical and mental health. This includes programs that offer accessible health knowledge, discreet expert consultation, and screening and symptom tracking based on each woman\u2019s specific risk factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s 2022 and women still make 18% less than men in the same jobs\u2014that\u2019s just 82 cents for every dollar.4<\/sup> And when it comes to paid leave to care for a new baby? We\u2019re the only wealthy country in the world that doesn\u2019t have it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paid leave may sound like an expensive benefit, but it\u2019s key to retaining employees (according to Ovia\u2019s family-friendly benefits survey<\/a>, paid leave is the most-requested improvement for working families) and it actually saves<\/em> employers money<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider this: on average, it costs one-and-a-half to two times an employee\u2019s salary to find a replacement. So if you have an employee who makes $75,000 annually, it can cost up to $150,000 to replace them. But three months of paid parental leave and three months of unpaid FMLA leave cost $56,250 (this includes paid leave, lost productivity, and a temporary replacement).<\/p>\n\n\n\n On top of these savings, research shows that every extra week of parental leave reduces the risk of adverse maternal and child health outcomes, including infant mortality.5<\/sup> So, adding leave may have a profound impact on your employees\u2019 lives and lower your healthcare costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These simple, important changes can take us a long way toward creating a woman- and family-friendly workplace:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re a working parent, you know how much these benefits would have helped you to be there for your family and bring your best to work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, as we rebuild from the pandemic, and with women\u2019s workforce participation at a 33-year low,6<\/sup> better benefits and a more family-friendly culture are more pressing than ever. Without them, companies won\u2019t be able to maintain the workforces they need to succeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s celebrate Women\u2019s History Month by building a workplace that not only supports and respects working mothers, but celebrates their stories, values and contributions. Together, let\u2019s change the course of women\u2019s history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1: Associated Press: https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-careers-075d3b0ab89baffc5e2b9a80e11dcf34<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2: New York Times: https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/02\/04\/parenting\/working-moms-coronavirus.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 3: Forbes: https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/jackkelly\/2021\/04\/05\/indeed-study-shows-that-worker-burnout-is-at-frighteningly-high-levels-here-is-what-you-need-to-do-now\/?sh=6cee26c623bb<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4: Forbes: https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/tomspiggle\/2021\/05\/25\/the-gender-pay-gap-why-its-still-here\/?sh=8265def7baf6 <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5: Ruhm C.J. Parental leave and child health. J. Health Econ. 2000; 19:931\u2013960: https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/11186852\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow the pandemic hit working mothers hardest<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Return-to-work is broken<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We still stigmatize and ignore women\u2019s health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re way behind on equal pay and parental leave<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
10 ways we can fix work and change women\u2019s history<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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