Women bore the brunt of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus. In the United States alone, more than 2 million women left the workforce in one year during the height of the pandemic.
The hardships of COVID-19 affected almost everyone, but women with children left or lost their jobs at a much higher rate than men with children. The pandemic reversed the gains that women of color in particular had made.
Women without children left the labor force at a lower rate. Nevertheless, they left more often than men. Three childless women left the workforce for every two childless men.
Part of the difference can be explained by the fact that the sectors in which women traditionally work were more affected by the pandemic. However, the difference is still considerable.
Investment in women-led businesses was also even lower than before during the pandemic. In 2020, women-led companies in the U.S. received only 2.3% of all venture capital investments. This is down from 2.8% in 2019.
That said, remote work offers great advantages for working women. As the pandemic wanes and as companies all over the world embrace a new era of flexibility and empowerment, women are expected to reap more of the benefits of remote work.
Let's take a look at how remote work can empower women.
Financial security
The financial stability and independence that remote work provides can be of great benefit to women. The money they earn from remote work can become their main source of income or an additional revenue stream that helps them and their family members have a better quality of life.
It also means they don't have to rely on others for their financial needs, or rely on them less, which in turn boosts their self-confidence. They can also experience a deep sense of satisfaction when they earn money themselves.
What makes the financial aspect of remote work even more important is the fact that those who work remotely earn, on average, $4,000 more annually than other workers.
Professional and personal growth
Some people assume that telecommuting hurts productivity because you're not directly supervised by someone.
However, surveys show that this isn't the case. In fact, 77% of remote workers believe they're more productive than in the office. So working from home can help women work more efficiently and get more done in less time.
Compared to a typical office job, remote work also gives women a greater sense of personal and professional independence because they feel like their own boss and can work more flexibly.
Another way remote work can empower women is by giving them the opportunity to improve their time management and organizational skills.
And since remote workers usually have more free time, they can spend it on the things that are important to them, including their personal development.
A healthier work-life balance
The fact that remote work allows women to work more flexible hours without having to rush early in the morning and putting up with long commutes means they can spend more time with their families.
This can help them achieve a healthier work-life balance and allow them to run important errands and attend to family matters more comfortably. In a survey, about 50% of remote workers said that a flexible schedule was the most important benefit of this work style.
Home offices also create a less stressful work environment and allow women to eat healthier, fresh meals and exercise more. And they've more freedom to take a break during the day whenever they need to.
New career paths
One of the main benefits of remote work, especially for working mothers, is that they can finally break away from their unsatisfying jobs and start a career they enjoy. We've seen many people, including women, start their own businesses during the pandemic.
For example, over 4.4 million new businesses were started in the U.S. in 2020. This is the highest total on record and a 24.3% increase from 2019. Half a million new businesses were created in January 2021, alone.
This opportunity could even encourage women to further their education and improve their technical and soft skills in order to run their own businesses more effectively. This could ultimately bring more women into the labor market.
Gender equality
Some experts believe that remote work can lead to greater gender equality. They argue that many women are left out of promotions, pay raises, and leadership positions, especially if they start a family, which slows down the careers of many women today. They say remote work can help them raise a family while pursuing their career.
According to experts, employers need to do more to ensure that remote work empowers women. These are some of the steps they think companies have to take.
1. Becoming ‘remote-first’ not ‘remote-friendly’
Experts say women are less disadvantaged in a "remote-first" culture because it recognizes that remote workers are equal to office-based employees. That's why they recommend employers build their policies and processes around this principle.
2. Include a diverse range of voices
According to experts, companies must ensure that employees of all genders are heard equally in the virtual workplace and include them all in the decision-making process. This is particularly important because women are generally less visible and therefore seen as less committed to their jobs and left out of many conversations.
3. Embracing remote management
Experts argue that many women and men feel they cannot advance to leadership positions and pursue their career aspirations if they don't follow the traditional 9 to 5 workday and aren't present in the office.
Therefore, employers are advised to support those who are qualified enough to become team leaders but prefer to work from home.
This requires not only a cultural shift but also a change in company policies that could hinder the advancement of employees into more important roles.
The bottom line is that telecommuting offers numerous opportunities for empowering female professionals. The onus is on both employees and employers to make the most of new workplace trends and the rise of remote work.
