Insights
Odgers Berndtson: How Fast Can We Heal the Pandemic’s Damage to Women’s Careers?
The pandemic critically set back women’s equality of opportunity, but it is not the only indicator that organisations must redouble efforts to close the gender balance.
Odgers Berndtson explains that key findings within the report show women are more frequently employed in the hardest-hit sectors that were directly disrupted by lockdown and social distancing measures. So, they were effectively hit twice: by higher unemployment rates and a slower re-entry into employment. Subsequently, combined with additional household and childcare responsibilities, more women were pressured to opt-out of the workforce than men. Evidence shows their re-employment has been slower, with lower hiring rates and, importantly, delayed hiring into leadership roles.
The article outlines the following:
- Where are the female technology leaders?
- Glass ceiling still unbroken
- Special measures to counter pandemic’s impact
- Returning to work requires support
- Building cultures to do good now, and in the future