This headline in the June 8th issue of the National Law Review caught my eye: “Older Female Employees Face a Double Whammy During COVID-19 Turmoil.” The author Eric Bachman said, “Between March and April the unemployment rate for women age 55 and over catapulted from 3.3% to 15.5%, the largest reported by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. This stark data is consistent with numerous studies that have found that the stereotypes leading to ageism and sexism are exacerbated when combined in a single employee.” He also notes that it will be difficult for this group to resume their careers and make up lost earnings when the pandemic is over.
Other Women Affected
The impact of COVID-19 on the careers of women over 55, which is our focus in Prime Spark, will be devastating. This, however, is not the only group of women affected. A headline at the bottom of the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, August 17, 2020, caught my attention: “Health crisis forcing moms to choose kids over careers.” There followed the story of a mother of three – ages 8,11, and 3 – who had been a CPA. She explained that she’d never thought she’d be a stay-at-home mom, but with the announcement of continuing virtual classrooms into the Fall, she felt she had no choice but to leave her job and be home full-time.
Is this a unique situation? I don’t think so. As she explained, her husband had offered to be the one to stay home, but he earns more, and the family’s health insurance depends on his job. There we have again. . .still. . .gender inequality in the workplace. The higher earner, usually the man, will, of necessity, be the one to return to full-time work while the woman reverts to full-time child and home care. If that’s what the woman chooses to do, fine. This CPA is doing so not by choice.
It is not a unique situation, for the more well-to-do. It is a unique situation for the lower income families who simply can’t afford to have one adult stay home. These families along with single mother households are forced to find a myriad of unsatisfactory ways of getting their children watched while they work. And there we have again. . .still. . .the impact of economic inequality and also our woeful approach to available childcare.
As many people have pointed out, the pandemic has highlighted the inequities that have been and are present in our society. It did not cause them.
Will the immediate impact of COVID on the careers of many women be lasting or temporary? I believe we are looking at a long term, if not lasting, effect. Ruth Sunderland writing in the August 23rd edition of The Daily Mail said, “Decades of progress made by women in the workplace could unravel in the pandemic as an unwanted and largely unnoticed side-effect of the virus.” And this “unravelling” could affect both younger and older women with one group losing career and earnings ground, and the other being unable to rejoin the workforce. How can we work so we Don’t Let COVID-19 Sideline Your Career?
Action to Take
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of this situation. But let’s focus on some things we might do in response to the disheartening predictions:
1. For women who are still in the workforce, and particularly for those at higher decision-making levels, begin to press now for the fair reinstatement of women who had to leave their positions to address household and childcare responsibilities and those forced out because of age.
2. For women with male partners who still are in the workforce, and, again, at higher decision-making levels, ask them to do the same within their organizations. And then follow up on these requests until you are satisfied that he has done everything he can.
3. Again, for women still in the workforce, as new jobs open up, press to have female candidates, and particularly those who are older and are of color, given top priority in interviewing and hiring, making sure, of course, well qualified candidates are offered positions.
4. As I tell my coaching clients, older women need to step up their efforts to gain reemployment and not buy into the messages that they will not be able to find jobs. Contact everyone you know who might have helpful connections and make sure they know you’re actively looking to continue your career.
5. Older women also need to assess their skills and “retool” if necessary. There are any number of community colleges and training centers where the most up to date job skills are taught.
6. For anyone involved in decisions on the awarding of contracts, insure that the potential pool of contractors/vendors has a good number of older women and women of color candidates.
7. All of us, inside and outside organizations need to press employers and governments – local, state, and federal – for more quality, affordable, and available childcare.
And finally, if you are a woman over 55 whose career has been impacted by the pandemic, stand up, be strong, and resolve to take control of your own future. Will it be hard? Yes, but the stakes are too high not to make a very big effort. And you might read or re-read the mission of Prime Spark:
We are women over 55. We will be seen for who we are. We are dynamic, involved, contributing, powerful, desirable, and vital. We will be included in the highest levels of decision making, planning, forecasting. We will be revered as indispensable matriarchs of our families. We will be sought after for prime roles in all media. We will step proudly into our advancing years, knowing that we have made major contributions to our families, our communities and the world, and will continue to do so for many years ahead. It is our time.
We’ve worked too hard for the gains we’ve made in our fight for equality in the workplace. Were we there yet? No, but we had made significant gains. Let’s join together and make sure those gains not only are not lost, but that this current situation we face has made us stronger and with more resolve to keep moving ahead.
It is our time!
Dr. Sara Hart is a lifelong advocate for social change and an inspirational, motivating speaker. She is passionate about Prime Spark, an idea that became a movement to change the way our culture sees and treats senior women. As a speaker, she provides controversial, cutting-edge ideas in an interactive setting. Sara founded Hartcom, a consulting company, over 20 years ago, focusing on leadership development, coaching, and team building. She also coaches women who know things need to be different in our society and who value the support of a coach and a like-minded community. Schedule a time to talk to Sara about coaching with her to take charge of your life.
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