I’ve been working with women for years in the field of personal development and overcoming imposter syndrome, boosting confidence, speaking up, etc has always been a recurrent theme. But something more has happened during the pandemic. It has hit women particularly hard, much harder than their male counterparts.
Generally anyone who was already ‘disadvantaged’ in some way: economically, by virtue of ethnicity, gender, disability, locality, etc, has suffered more than the ‘average population’ during the pandemic. There is a mass of research to show that women do not enjoy the same advantages at work as their male counterparts so it’s virtually a given that they will be feeling the negative impact.
I think the pandemic could adversely affect women once they get back into the workplace. Everyone will be jostling for recognition, to regain their space, and there is a danger that women, and younger women in particular, will get jostled out of play if they are not prepared. Losing more women from the workplace would be tragic. We are already the most underused resource. No sensible employer wants to lose that resource.
Unfortunately, without an actual plan, some proactive thinking, this is going to happen, is happening. More women are getting made redundant, getting offered less hours, and have ended up holding all the emotional load of the pandemic, i.e. even if partners are ‘helping’ 50% of the time, women are usually the ones organising everything. It takes up a lot of brain space.
Women in the Workforce Benefit Everyone
More than ever we need the benefits that both women and men working together can bring. Unfortunately I can’t do anything about what happens in workplaces (apart from calling it out), but I can work with individual women and groups to help them recognise what is happening, to boost their confidence to challenge it, to plan ahead.
Are Younger Women More Adversely Affected by Pandemic?
There is some evidence that younger women have suffered more with mental health issues. My experience of coaching is that they have had a dip in confidence, if not actual depression. Working from home, while having some benefits, has been isolating, and if you’re relatively new in a role you’ve been missing out on the informal learning and support that happens in a workplace. Check out this study from Forbes.
Lots of younger people are also in flat shares which, in bigger cities, means they may be with people they don’t know particularly well or competing for internet access. None of that is conducive to giving of your best. I’ve worked with some women who have never even met their colleagues, apart from on Zoom calls. It makes it hard to benchmark yourself, to work out hierarchies, to understand the culture of an organisation. To work how you fit. Most of us want to know how we fit, if only so we can decide if we want to fit in.
Three Tips For Overcoming The Female Pandemic Penalty
Number one step in taking control of your career is understanding the issues as they affect you, and taking whatever steps you can to get yourself in a good position. I know it’s not easy. Knowledge really is power.
The Pandemic – The Shared Experience We Can’t Share
- The pandemic has been the shared experience that we haven’t been allowed to share. I think there is going to be some kind of collective PTSD experience once it is actually over on a global scale, as well as in smaller work groups. To help you minimise the effects of that ask yourself this honestly, on a scale of 1 -9.
How do you feel about what has happened in terms of life events for you?
For example, leaving home for the first time may count as an 8 for you; how would you score the past 15 months in relation to that? Think back to a life experience you managed well. Focus on why you managed it well. What did you do, what helped, who helped? Try hard not to get bogged down in things that didn’t work because if it didn’t work, let it go. But something definitely worked because here you are! Use that. Build on the positives.
Try a Little Help From A Friend
- Set yourself up in a co-coaching partnership. This doesn’t need to be someone in your field, often it’s best if it isn’t. And not necessarily a good friend; someone who knows you well may make assumptions based on what they think they know about you. Don’t be afraid to ask; this is a two way street, you are giving them something, too. Ground rules are, each of you has a set time to speak when the other person simply listens. Space to explore your thoughts and feelings out loud is especially important for women. Then they sum up what they think they have you heard you say, and ask you some open ended questions.
No one has to have ‘right’ answer, just a safe sharing space. Friendships are especially important for women (women release the hormone oxytocin when they feel under stress, the bonding hormone. Remember, Fight\flight research has been primarily done on men).
Reframe Your Thoughts About Networking
- Start building your network, right now, especially if you’re in a new-ish role. Most women I work with hate networking which I think is something to do with it being seen as quite a male and aggressive thing to do. Definitely don’t do the ‘I’ll talk at you about what I do and how good I am at it and let you talk back for a minute before swapping business cards and walking off in search of more warm wine’ thing.
Networking rarely yields immediate results. Think of it as a longer term career investment. Forget all those courses/articles telling you to have an aim, to talk to so many people, and to say inane things like How may I help you? Instead, be you. Engage. Don’t even think about selling/promoting in these initial stages. Just extend your network. Try it on line if that’s best, also make full use of LinkedIn. Remember, people, i.e. you, get on if other people know about them. The quality of the work you actually do comes in at very poor third place.
Shine your light, the world needs you!
RenewYou, My Tried and Tested Career Booster!
RenewYou has helped thousands of women make positive and lasting change in their lives. I deliver it one-to-one as part of a bespoke coaching package for women looking to move into leadership, to progress their career, or who wish to be the absolute best version of themselves.
Posted on June 16th, 2021 by Jane
