What Stops Women from Working?

In the wake of the pandemic, the workforce and economy at large have been slow to recover. Yet, a woman’s return to the office has far more concerns when compared to their male counterparts. Some of the barriers women face when returning to the workplace include their responsibilities as caretakers and personal-life choices.

Firstly, the effects of caregiving on a professional career are drastically underrealized. Caregiving is 8 times more likely to negatively impact a woman’s career relative to a man’s. Nearly a third of women feel compelled to fulfill a caregiver role and another 12% feel this caregiver role makes entering the workforce impossible. Even if a woman is to return to their role, 29% feel professionally devalued, with even more believing their career and compensation has been harmed.  However, childcare services are not a viable alternative either. In 8 states, the cost of childcare is 33% or more of a woman’s average salary.

Furthermore, the effect of the pandemic has impacted childcare workers as well, leading to 74,000 fewerworkers than 2020. Ultimately, caretaking ultimately comes at the expense of a woman’s career. While it may not be totally ruined, the recovery from the professional damage requires extra effort, and many women feel as though their career won’t be the same. Despite this, as the world progresses, so too must the workplace culture surrounding women.