The State of Women in the Workforce

Institute Editorial Team 08/14/2021

African American woman sitting at desk representing the many women who are leading the great resignation

PRE-PANDEMIC: Progress for Women was Slow with Many Challenges While there was a minor upward shift for women in senior positions, women continued to be drastically underrepresented in leadership positions, especially women of color.The “broken rung” continued holding millions of women back from being promoted to manager.Women remained significantly outnumbered in entry-level management with only 38% of positions.Women’s participation in the labor force had not yet returned to its 2000 peak by the time the coronavirus pandemic began (McKinsey 2020). THE SHECESSION 100% of jobs lost in December 2020 were held by women.275,000 women left the workforce in January 2021.Mothers who are reducing their work hours and leaving the labor force outright add up to $64.5 billion a year in lost wages and economic activity.The net 2.4 million women who left the labor force…

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Categories: Leadership & Career Advancement, Working moms

Tags: diversity, inclusion, Trending, women in the workforce, women's leadership

Institute Editorial Team

Women in Today’s Workplace: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?

The post-pandemic workplace is littered with uncertainty for workers in all industries, especially women. While the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the lack of a steady workplace for women is still a prevalent problem. COVID-19 and Women’s Employment During the COVID-19 pandemic, women were 33% more likely than men to work in an industry shut down by the pandemic. Research indicated that jobs held by women were 1.8 times more vulnerable than those held by males. Women made up 39% of the employment on a global scale, but they accounted for 54% of the job losses worldwide. Economists also report that women were much more likely than men to be furloughed during the pandemic. In addition, women were furloughed for longer periods than…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 09/12/2022

woman sitting at desk thinking, stressed, should you return to pre-pandemic job?

Is Your Pre-Pandemic Job Still Right for You?

Is Your Pre-Pandemic Job Still Right for You? The world is slowly returning back to “normal” 一 or as close to normal as things get while continuing to live with the threat of a global pandemic. And this return to “normal” has left many of us wondering: do I want to go back to exactly the way things were pre-pandemic? Here are some things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of staying at your pre-pandemic job. Many are leaving their pre-pandemic jobs As employers call workers back into the office, many people are choosing not to go back to their old jobs at all. Although a record number of open jobs are available in the U.S., hiring has gone way down. And people…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 10/18/2021

women leaders need to be prioritized in the workplace

Why Many Organizations Don’t Prioritize Women’s Leadership and How They Can Start

As women, we have come to understand and acknowledge how being successful at work can be more challenging for us than our male counterparts. Many women must balance their advancing careers with motherhood, healthy relationships, and personal wellness. Women are also more likely to face sexual harassment at the workplace, leading them to remain silent and subservient in their jobs or leave their careers altogether. You may think that in 2021 the vast majority of businesses have a good understanding of the difficulties women face in the workplace but sadly, this is not the case. While some employers are making great strides in gender equity, many companies are still falling short of providing women the opportunities to excel in their careers. A recent study by…

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Institute Editorial Team 07/26/2021

Women are Leading the Great Resignation

Women are leading the Great Resignation. Americans quit their jobs in record numbers in 2021 and according to The Wall Street Journal, approximately 4.4 million people left their jobs in September alone. A closer at the numbers reveals that women and frontline workers comprised the majority of those leaving their jobs. So what is leading women to leave the workforce, and how is this phenomenon affecting the women that remain? Why are Women Leading The Great Resignation? With women leading the Great Resignation, it has left many wondering why. What is causing women to leave their jobs in droves? Why would women walk away from careers they have spent years striving to build? As it turns out, a combination of factors is at play. However, three reasons…

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Institute Editorial Team 11/23/2021