In August and September, more than a million people dropped out of the workforce. Eighty percent of them were women. Women have been losing jobs at a rate far higher than that of men throughout this recession, figures that can’t be entirely explained by industry effects. And it might get worse. One in 4 employed women (1 in 3 mothers) are considering quitting or dialing back at work, according to McKinsey — the first time in six years of research that they’ve found any difference in men’s and women’s interest in quitting.
The “Opt out myth” is the assumption that one reason, maybe even the main reason, you don’t see more women leading organizations or governments is that so many women “choose” to stay home. In reality, the number of women who give up their careers is small, and the choice is almost never truly a free one.
However, women do not “opt out” of the workforce, but now they are being forced to because of Covid-19. They are struggling to find caregivers while daycares, schools and home caregivers are not available during this time. So, are women still considered the person who should not work and stay home to take care of the house and kids? And will this get worse from now on with Covid-19?
4 comments:
Interesting point. It is one of the worst stereotypes that our country deals with. However, I do think that more and more men are deciding to have a larger role and become more involved in caring for their children. While we are starting to shy away from this stereotype it may still exist within the job market. I do not know the numbers but I would like to think men have helped care for their children during this COVID crisis, but you never know!
I think that the notion of women staying at home to take care of their children is definitely a stereotype of the past, but that doesn't mean it has fully gone away. The data shows that there is still come of this influence, but as society continues to change for the better, that influence will become smaller and smaller.
Women want to be able to care for their children and do what is necessary. Women are also choosing to stay home because typically their spouse makes more money which they will rely more heavily on for a single income. Do you think society's point of view will shift to seeing women at home more like in the past? Do you think these women will eventually return to work?
I think the statistic of 80% of people leaving the work force being women is incredibly disheartening, while also being an interesting observation. I agree with Nick's statement that attributing this decrease to homemaker stereotypes may be a bit played-out (although not unlikely) and I would be interested in exploring other correlative possibilities: what was the percentage increase of women diagnosed with COVID during this time? Are there any other probable factors that can be explored as causes?
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