The pandemic highlighted the burden of labor and caregiving that women disproportionately bear, but it may have also shifted some standards of work that could ease the burden for women in the workforce, The Wall Street Journal reported Dec. 11.
In order to be "on call" for child care or other caregiving or domestic duties, women tend to pick low-paying, flexible jobs that don't afford them the same high income as less flexible jobs. The result is often pay inequality compounded over time.
Three ways the pandemic may have rewritten some of these rules:
1. Work from home flexibility
Now that most employers offer more flexibility than before the pandemic, more women will be able to compete for higher-paying jobs that previously would have demanded them to be present in the office. Resolving the flexibility penalty may allow for more gender and pay equity.
2. Importance of care
The pandemic woke many people up to just how essential caregivers are. This sparked national conversations about universal child care and changes in Medicaid reimbursement rules regarding care for older adults.
3. Resilience
Among college-educated young women with children, roughly 77 percent were in the workforce in 2021 compared to 76 percent in 2019. While less educated and Black women were hit harder than others, women in general remained in the workforce.