Under normal circumstances, International Women’s Day would be a moment to reflect on the fantastic achievements of women over the past century. Last week, however, I was thinking of the innumerable working women who have had to confront problem after problem during the pandemic.
The challenges we have had to overcome these past two years serve to remind us how far women have come, but also how easily it can all unravel. Widely recognised as a boon for industrial society, the path leading towards women’s integration into the workplace has been historically fraught and challenging.
Yesterday’s women have helped ensure that, in many parts of the world, society no longer doubts the abilities of women to lead and women are no longer confined to certain professions for significantly less pay. Women everywhere have had to fight for their right to work and overcome cultural norms that saw us leave work because we got married or when we were expecting a child.
For someone working in the staffing industry, I have always been keenly aware of issues affecting women and privileged to see the rise of working women across the world. I myself have enthusiastically taken on roles that may have been barred to my predecessors: I have led negotiations at ILO Global Dialogue Forums, I have engaged with trade unions and CEOs, and I now oversee all of Adecco Group’s public affairs activities.
My desire to instil positive changes across the employment industry also saw me take a keen interest in the activities of the World Employment Confederation (WEC) and I have proudly represented them as their president since September 2020.
Celebrating this personal achievement from behind my computer screen was bittersweet given how starkly it reminded me of the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Two years into the pandemic, we can no longer deny the new paradigm we face thanks to public health challenges, economic difficulties and a workplace revolution. I have seen first hand the toll the pandemic took on working women. It not only exacerbated a number of underlying trends affecting women, but it has also contributed to the rise of new challenges that must now be overcome.
Disproportionate impact
The impact of the pandemic was disproportionately felt by women: we lost more jobs and at a faster rate than men. Young women, especially, are the group most affected by the pandemic as they face the greatest employment deficit relative to the pre-crisis situation in 2019.
Our mental wellbeing has also come under strain as we burnt out at significantly higher rates than men. Women were also squeezed out of the labour force as we coped with the demands of family care and housework.
From the healthcare workers to carers, women-dominated professions were disproportionately on the front lines of the fight against Covid-19. Despite the fact that the pandemic highlighted numerous women leading the charge, we are still judged to have less leadership potential than men.
Overcoming barriers that limit opportunities for women across the world will be no easy task, but we can push ahead by implementing strategies reliant on a strong understanding of empirical data and the specificities of individual countries.
Despite great progress, gaps in gender employment and pay continue to exist in many parts of the world. Despite dropping over the last decade, the EU’s gender pay gap was 13 per cent in 2020. Similarly, the employment rate of women in Europe is 10.8 per cent lower than males. This gap grows to 25.4 per cent at a global level.
As a leader in the private employment services industry, I’m seeking to understand how to implement structural reforms that can overcome gender-related challenges that affect nearly half of agency workers across the world. I have been delighted to see my industry respond so well to the challenges of working women and identify innovative ways to support them.
In France, we have provided working mothers with access to schemes such as the FASTT childcare support services. For female agency workers seeking more flexibility and assignments that suit their personal obligations, these types of services help alleviate some of the worries they would normally have to face.
Together, we can facilitate the entry of women into the labour market and provide them with opportunities that match their needs. Beyond our expertise, the private employment services industry can foster inclusiveness by helping women find the opportunities that provide the social protections, flexibility and meaningful development opportunities they are looking for.
The pandemic has been a once in a generation event. I believe we have an opportunity to make lasting changes to how we work that will benefit women for generations to come.
