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Women of Distinction

How COVID Has Adversely Affected Women

In The Workplace

By Emily Golden
Photos courtesy of Emily Golden

There are a multitude of challenges we’re ultimately handing off our power. It’s
women are battling in our drive for equity time to take back that power. It’s time to be
but two seem to be leading the charge: (1) your own champion.
The lack of childcare available in the past We must not allow decades of progress
year has made it obvious that raising chil- to evaporate. Perhaps more than ever, we
dren is defaulted as a woman’s responsibil- need compassion, trust, love, kindness, and
ity. It’s still a deeply rooted part of our cul- the ability to fully express ourselves in the
ture, and the pandemic has just made that workplace. So, whether you are a badass
even more clear. (2) Our country clearly has female leader, someone on the job hunt
an over-reliance on men in leadership roles. or simply someone who wants to live in a
Women accounted for all the job losses in world where we can speak our truth with-
December, losing 156,000 jobs while men out fear or repercussions, I’ve outlined steps
gained 16,000. we can all take to advocate for one anoth-
What’s perhaps even more interesting er, to advocate for equity in our workplace,
is that in spite of these losses, we’re seeing and to ensure we’re all treating ourselves
data that states women are needed in the the way we’d want others to treat us.
workforce now more than ever. A recent
study that looked at the performance of
194 countries in the fight against COVID-19 Women In The Workforce:
found that women-led countries were • Embrace Results, Not Hours: Whether
generally more successful in fighting the you are going to the office or work-
pandemic than those led by men. Why? Be- ing remotely, it’s time to embrace a
cause as nurturers by nature, women bring results-driven workplace rather than
compassion, empathy and a sense of vul- measuring success by hours/days
nerability to their work, which in turn leads worked.
omen are remarkable. For cen- to better risk management and effective
turies we’ve broken through so leadership. • Flexibility Is Key: Our personal and pro-
Wmany barriers and shattered so I want to be very clear; what we’re dis- fessional lives have never been more
many glass ceilings, that it started to feel cussing is not a female problem, it’s a hu- blended thanks to the pandemic, but
like we couldn’t be surprised by a new man and societal problem. Perhaps it’s time just remember to set clear boundaries
challenge. Enter COVID-19. In fairness, I’m we collectively take a different approach to so you are not overworked.
not even sure the leading experts could advocate for women, avoid backpedaling
predict the scale and severity of this un- even further, and eventually reverse the • Humor + Empathy Wins: Working
precedented global pandemic, or how it damage that this pandemic has done to ad- remotely makes it that much more
would impact every phase of our lives. versely affect women in the workforce. difficult to ensure that you are part of
Women in particular saw well thought- Let me introduce you to a new perspec- important conversations, but we can
out and carefully curated schedules for tive: The New Golden Rule. Not to be con- subtly call it out when we realize we’re
both themselves and their families quick- fused with The “Old” Golden Rule, “Treat oth- being excluded with a little humor and
ly requiring a full overhaul as the roles ers as you would like to be treated”, The New empathy.
of mother, wife, caretaker, and business Golden Rule encourages you to “Treat your-
professional occur simultaneously and self the way you want others to treat you”. • Think Potential Over Past: Studies
all under the same roof. A generation of In what started as a personal mantra, show that men apply to jobs when they
women have fought to be viewed as more The New Golden Rule quickly evolved into meet 60% of the requirements, while
than caretakers, and now, as we approach an entire book dedicated to helping people women will only apply if they meet
the one year anniversary of Coronavirus reclaim their power, find peace and natu- 100% of the requirements. We’re selling
intertwining itself with every facet of our rally improve our relationships with others. ourselves short by relying on past expe-
everyday lives, we’re in serious danger of The simple truth, any time we expect some- rience alone. Instead, we need to focus
backpedaling. one else to make us feel good or valued, on our potential and capabilities.

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