Despite the strides the workforce has made over the last year, the role of women in the workplace has taken several steps back due to the pandemic.
The Census Bureau reported that women are three times more likely to be unemployed due to COVID-19 childcare needs.
Unfortunately, this means that in many instances, women will have to work harder than their male counterparts to receive the same benefits and opportunities. So how can we make sure our roles are respected and recognized as essential?
For starters, working mothers often struggle between balancing their work responsibilities with their parental duties.
However, being a parent offers a specific set of skills to the workplace that is often overlooked. That fact in itself should help working parents let go of the guilt they may have about choosing between two worlds, and understand that being a multitasking professional is an admirable skill.
Making connections might be difficult to do virtually, but networking online could actually be simpler than before. Now, it is easy for workers to find mutual connections through social media, shoot them a message and open the door to new opportunities.
Additionally, with video conferencing becoming an essential factor in business operations today, showing you are engaged can be difficult. Oftentimes, women are inadvertently (or not) interrupted during video meetings.
That is why women should call to attention attempts to stifle their voice. Doing so let’s your perspective be heard and valued, while bringing a dose of self-awareness to people who step over your words.