Four Steps For Narrowing The COVID-19 Gender Equity Gap

When we talk about the COVID-19 pandemic anniversary, we tend to focus on the fatigue and isolation of continuing to live and work in a hybrid world. We often forget that the pandemic impacts each of us in different ways. It has had some of the most profound impacts on women, who statistically have taken the brunt of balancing childcare and will spend years recovering from gender equity setbacks as we balance work with family in this time of crisis. Though the current gender equity climate is dismal, each of us has the ability to go first to make important strides for leveling gender equity.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the World Economic Forum predicted that it would take 257 years to close the economic gender gap. That means even without the economic strain of job closings or layoffs, hours cut, and scrambling to find or act as childcare while schools and daycares shuttered, women were already more than two centuries behind men, financially.

Women are also spreading themselves thin from a health and mental well-being perspective. They are impacted by limited or no access to health care, lost health insurance and delaying their own ancillary health treatment, like reproductive health screenings or mental health services, as medical professionals, funds and time have been reallocated to COVID-19 aid. It goes without saying that these strains are amplified for women of color, those living in low-income communities and those living paycheck-to-paycheck or in a single-income household. “The pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic,” United Nations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly widened the gender equity gap, but we can work intentionally, as individuals and teams, to start the recovery process now.

Four ideas to help narrow the gender equity gap

In celebration of Women's History Month and in light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender equity, how can we think bigger about amplifying women's voices within our schools, communities and organizations?

1. Examine how women are represented within our organizations. Where women’s interest groups do not exist, we can take initiative to form committees that strive for equal representation within the organization. Listen: UpSpiral Leadership®: The Podcast Interview with WISER Board on Taking Initiative to Grow Self & Others Through Community

2. Connect with those responsible for recruiting to ensure a diverse, female-rich candidate pool that directly funnels into leadership roles or decision-maker positions. Listen: UpSpiral Leadership®: The Podcast Interview with Elaine Rocha on Being a Bold Advocate for Others

3. Listen for and amplify women’s perspectives during meetings. Repeat ideas shared by women and be sure to give credit where credit is due. It is far too common for female ideas to be rejected and even more common for male colleagues to adopt those great ideas as their own. If too few women are speaking up, gather their ideas to present at the next meeting. Listen: UpSpiral Leadership®: The Podcast Interview with Diane Menard on Knowing People on a Deeper Level

4. Understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted women in terms of lost opportunities while caring for family or putting their own health, mental and physical, on the backburner. Help uncover resources that welcome women back to work, provide support for mental or financial well-being, and catch them up on new technologies or processes introduced during their absence. 

It may not happen overnight, but each of us has the ability to go first to narrow the gender equity divide, further strained by the COVID-19 pandemic. Where will you start?

Looking for more tips and tools to advocate for women in your organization? UpSpiral Leadership® is always here to help! Schedule a discovery call today.