DOUBLE CELEBRATION FOR THE NATION’S MUMS (and DADS)
March 8th – International Women’s Day and THE END OF HOME SCHOOLING!
Accenture Research has quoted that Covid-19 has pushed the timeline to gender equality back by up to 51 years. (i) And today marks International Women’s Day and the reopening of schools for children in England. While in many households, the latter may be a greater cause for celebration, International Women’s day shines light on the impact of the pandemic on women and girls in particular.
The easing of restrictions and rules is in sight in England, but juggling work / home commitments is still happening on a daily basis. Children making appearances on parents’ video calls and having to break off a video call to answer a maths question has become the norm. And then let’s not forget the carers. Often skewed towards older, more senior and more often female employees, (ii) ageing relatives still need looking after. And families have been pulled apart – the generations unable to see each other in many months. At Tribe, we have members of staff who’ve become grandmothers during the pandemic and they’re yet to meet and hold the newest members of their families!
According to a study from the Office for National Statistics, women did significantly more in terms of childcare during lockdown compared to men. This equated to an average of more than three hours a day of childcare compared to just two hours for men. The research also found that one in three women home-schooling their children in lockdown said their mental health had suffered as a result.
So it’s great news that a flexible approach to working is becoming the norm for many companies and wellbeing has shot to the top of the leadership agenda. It’s meant a better understanding of the personal pressures people face and has given everyone more control over creating a better work life balance. Let’s hope this continues to accelerate post Covid – making things easier for those employees who will continue to juggle childcare provision and the care of elderly relatives.
At Tribe, on a recent virtual internal conference, we focussed on how we can all factor wellbeing into our day and discussed the challenges we’re all dealing with. It’s about feeling supported, building awareness and empathy.
Incorporating wellbeing into workplace culture and corporate strategy is vital to ensure your people’s mental health needs are met. If you would like to talk to us about changing your workplace culture, get in touch.
(i) Dominic King, Senior Principal at Accenture Research, on LinkedIn
(ii) https://makeadifference.media/mental/accentures-barbara-harvey-mental-health-matters/
