Covid-19 continues to have a damning impact on the professional lives of women in the UK, new research from LinkedIn has revealed

Since covid turned our lives upside down all but six months ago, worrying statistics have poured in regarding the disproportionate impact the health crisis is having on women – especially working women.

The UK has shed almost 700,000 jobs since the start of lockdown. And with female dominated industries such as retail and hospitality being the most affected – 17% of women are newly unemployed, in comparison to 13% of men.

And as we roll into autumn, things are only looking more bleak. With the Furlough scheme wrapping up and a second lockdown on the cards, it’s estimated that the total unemployment figure for 2020 could top one million. With women being inordinately impacted, our current economic climate has given life to a brand new and fairly disheartening phrase: she-cession.

What is a she-cession?

Originally coined by C. Nicole Mason, president of the Institute of Women’s Policy research, the term ‘she-cession’ refers to an economic downturn where job and income losses are affecting women more than men.

In the 2008 recession, men lost twice as many jobs as women – causing some to refer to it as a ‘mancession’. But this time, the tables have turned – with McKinsey stating that women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to covid than positions held by men.

And women are not only bearing the brunt of redundancy. New data from LinkedIn has revealed that they’re also less likely than men to be hired into new roles, as well as being more likely to feel less confident about their career prospects – all the while providing full-time childcare.

We decided to investigate these factors, as well as what employers can do to protect their female employees.

Drivers of the she-cession:

During lockdown, women were less likely to be hired 

According to research from LinkedIn, the hiring of female workers followed a U-shape trajectory in 2020, reaching its lowest point in April. This particularly affected women within the Recreation and Travel industry, where the percentage of female hires dropped from 44.3% in 2019 to just 31.1% in May of 2020.

Although the data shows that female hiring improved with restrictions being lifted, a second lockdown is likely to stop this progress in its tracks.

Women are less confident about future career prospects

When it comes to future career prospects, the study found women are feeling significantly less confident about their chances in comparison to men. ‘Lockdown saw a number of mothers taking on the lion’s share of caring duties and housework’, said Joeli Brearley, Founder of charity Pregnant Then Screwed.

With 27% of working mothers caring for children alone and 32% providing full-time care, compared to just 19% of men, Brearley commented that the task of juggling childcare, along with chores and working from home has ‘many believing this has either impacted their career prospects or will certainly harm them in the future.’

It’s hardly surprising then that nearly two thirds of women report feeling increased levels of stress or anxiety due to the pandemic, compared to less than half of men. Between facing heightened risk of redundancy to dealing with gender disparity in the current hiring climate, the data also shows that women are shockingly 133% less confident than men about their ability to improve their financial situation in the next six months.

What should be done to fight the she-cession?

It’s clear that more needs to be done to avoid losing the progress made on gender equality within the workplace. And with this new data, LinkedIn hopes to shed a light on the need for employers to make accommodations to help women remain in employment.

Janine Chamberlin, Director at LinkedIn, said: ‘Many women have had to juggle ever-increasing work commitments with heightened childcare and household responsibilities. The concern is that with higher levels of stress, working mothers may consider reducing their hours or leaving the workforce entirely’

According to Chamberlin, flexible hours and remote working are key are in comes to helping women remain in the workforce: ‘Employers have the opportunity to create more flexibility so that women do not have to choose between their children and their careers, and it is reassuring to see that this is top of mind for many business leaders today. Now is the time for organisations to consider these initiatives.’

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