Is it Bra-burning Time Again?

For those of you who may be too young to remember, the female percentage of the US workforce was only about one-third back in the 50s. It rose from 18 million to 74 million (47% of the total workforce) by 2015, just six decades later.

My mom, then my sisters and me (and many of you reading this right now!) have all been part of this historic shift. But all of the hard-won gains and benefits of our blood, sweat and tears are in danger of being lost.

Before the pandemic, the US Bureau of labor estimated that the number of women in the labor force would increase to 77.2 million in 2024 for a continuance of the 47% share.

Instead, what we have seen is that women have been more negatively impacted by the pandemic than males. Consider that:

• Unemployment levels remain 2% higher for women than for men
• 80% of the 1.1+ million people who’ve exited the workforce are female
• Women of color and those with lower education levels suffer more

Recent projections modeled by McKinsey and Oxford Economics estimate that women’s employment may not recover to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 (two full years after recovery for men).

The root causes for the disparity are as old as Methuseleh - you’ve heard it all before. The burden of unpaid care (such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, caring for children and aging parents) has always fallen disproportionately on women. Even before the pandemic, women did twice as much unpaid care compared to men – and these responsibilities only increased with Covid.

McKinsey has estimated that global GDP growth could be $1 trillion LOWER in 2030 than it would be if women’s unemployment just kept pace with that of men’s.

My mother didn’t burn her bra way back then, and neither did I (a big “thank you” to those who did!). However, lately I’ve been thinking much about all that Mom fought for in her life and in her career, and how I wouldn’t want to see us backslide. In fact, I’d consider burning a bra over this!

The image that is inspiring me on this Mother’s Day is the one I’ve included here. It’s my paternal Grandfather's paperweight, which he gave my Mom when she embarked upon her first "non-secretarial" job as a Purchasing Agent for a Fortune 500 company. It sat on her desk throughout her career, and she gave it to me as one of her parting gifts before she died. Now it sits on MY desk. I like to think the "ND" stands for "New Directions."

Indeed – thank you, Mom, for all you did for me!