One thing COVID-19 hasn’t changed are the challenges that women over 40 face when it comes to seeking jobs.
“I spent six years of working reduced hours so I could be available as a parent to my daughter,” said a 41-year-old married woman who preferred to remain anonymous. She had planned to grow her practice when her daughter entered kindergarten, but as lockdown hit, she had a new, unpaid full time job: Zoom school attendant. Now, as she resumes a job search, though she holds a master’s degree, the nearly half a decade of lost salary and career progression weighs heavily.
“Women across age ranges are often locked into low-wage jobs, and as they grow older, it becomes even harder and harder to access employment that is more meaningful to them financially.” shows that unemployment for men is actually slightly higher at 5.9 percent than that of women at 5.5 percent. Yet, this same report shows a whopping 474 percent increase in the number of job leavers—that is, people who are now unemployed after voluntarily leaving a job. Alongside of that number is a 2.
“So many women are underemployed, including those who are working full time,” said Gina Avila, the founder of the, a nonprofit that offers underserved women personal, professional development, mentorship and job skills training. “Women across age ranges are often locked into low-wage jobs, and as they grow older, it becomes even harder and harder to access employment that is more meaningful to them financially. The challenges are very real and very intense,” said Avila.
The picture that emerges is a telling one. The barriers to workforce participation that women and female-identifying people have always faced remains persistent. COVID-19 has erased many gains made by women in the workplace, and the pandemic promise of flexibility now feels like yet another promotion we were passed over for. The Bloomberg study above cites data that shows women could offer a $20 trillion boost to global economic growth by 2050.
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