The pink collar recession and the need to support women at work

This harrowing concept centres on the belief that the COVID-19 crisis impacted women far more than men, particularly in the workplace. The evidence supports this idea - a Grattan Institute Report revealed that women lost more jobs than men, bore the burden of increased unpaid work (for example, supervising children on top of existing work) and were less likely to secure government support.

The World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report in 2021 even claimed the pandemic set back efforts to close the gender gap by a generation.

In this instance, I believe women in the marketing and advertising industry were able to be insulated from many of the more negative effects that rocked others. Many of us were able to work from home, while those working directly in industries such as hospitality lost their jobs overnight.

But until we all succeed, none of us succeeds. Businesses have made steps in the right direction, but they need to carry the momentum through towards the rest of the year, and for years to come. The real work for gender equality should encompass everyone, from the C-suite to our interns.

To make lasting change, we need to educate ourselves. Let’s open up the conversation, change our culture, and make a commitment.

Open the conversation

Looking around the room at any International Women’s Day event earlier this month, I wanted to see more than women there. Men are also an essential part of the conversation.

Why? It comes back to education. How can we expect men to understand what it is to be a woman in the workforce if we don’t share our experiences with them?

The fight for gender equality should be about building relationships, and ensuring that we’ve all got a stake in the fight for gender equality. I, for one, am tired of acting like it’s the sole responsibility of women to change our representation in the industry.

Any industry event has to educate its guests - like discovering the Pink Collar Recession. The goal is to walk away from any event with a better understanding or new knowledge on how women can become empowered in the workforce. To me, this is one of the only ways to encourage genuine change.

Employees are any business’ biggest assets - education can give them the avenues to realise their full potential. For myself, one of the number one drivers for my own confidence and ambition in my role is seeing powerful women in leadership positions. This should become something so ubiquitous that we don't need to strive towards it anymore.

Whether it’s speaking in Town Halls or who clicks “attending” on the latest workplace seminar, let’s make sure everyone in the company is on the same page.

The power of transforming culture

In some good news, Spain recently announced menstrual leave for employees, a first for Europe. This one policy, and the subsequent excitement, is proof of how effective, proactive policies can help support women in work.

Workplace culture is one of the most powerful tools businesses have in supporting women, and policies like menstrual leave are examples of how they work hand in hand. Businesses should engage with their female employees to understand which changes would actually make a difference to them.

As a start, moving from maternity to parental leave should be a priority for businesses across the board. Parental leave policy - as opposed to just maternity to paternity - can better support women with childcare responsibilities by giving them the chance to re-enter the workforce sooner and dismantling the stereotype that child care should be the mother’s sole responsibility.

Our neighbours in Australia have made moves towards this - the Australian government now allows leave to be divided between both partners, and the income test for eligibility is now more equitable.

Workplace culture also often starts in recruitment. Ensuring that candidates not only fit the role on paper but also match the company values is essential.

It’s particularly important when it comes to younger members of the office. When I think back to my early years as a professional, there are things now I would speak up about that I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do so when I was younger.

This is something we have to change. As a start, developing a robust calendar of events throughout the year can help support these younger members of the office to build the skills to navigate uncomfortable situations.

Companies should also strive to employ third-party facilitators in these events - they are the experts, and they may encourage your staff to engage more meaningfully.

At the end of the day, when we talk about women in the workforce, we should go beyond the disadvantages. There are plenty of women already killing it in the office, doing great work and showing up every day. But we need to think more deeply about how to make the most out of the goodwill generated by the event and transform it into actionable plans that can support women at work.

One day, I hope we get to a stage where we won’t even need events raising awareness for these issues. Until then, we have to do the work.

Elise Bennett is the head of account management for APAC at Outbrain.