Building Workplaces Where Women Thrive

The global Covid-19 pandemic has been particularly hard on working women. It comes as no surprise that many women bear the family responsibilities, and those same women face obstacles at work as a result of that caregiving. According to a recent media report, men working remotely with children were promoted three times more than women with children in 2020. While men were getting promoted, women were pulled to support and help their children with distance learning. 

 Adjusting to a remote world added challenges for women on top of the already existing ones. Some women found themselves in roles that couldn't be done effectively remotely and, faced with limited child care options, were forced to step away. Others found barriers in how their employers allowed them to function in this reality, and the resulting mental burden led them to resign. Even those who haven't left the workforce yet also report that they continue to re-evaluate how they view work in the greater context of their lives. 

 Similar were the views of women entrepreneurs upon a summit organised by BW Disrupt in association with BW Businessworld. The discussion over an ideal workplace for women lead to a point where women were keen on implementing leverage policies like paid sabbatical and equal opportunities in applying for leadership roles. While it is important to have such defined policies in the workplace but it is equally important to have a strong implementation of those policies as well.