36 PROFESSIONAL WOMAN'S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE WWW.PROFESSIONALWOMANMAG.COM
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here has been no dearth of articles about the effectiveness of female leaders during this pandemic (standing in sharp contrast to the inadequacy of the "strongmen," as The Atlantic articulately shares). So, where have women been all these years? What-aside from systemic sexism- has been holding them back? While some argue there are important genetic distinctions based on sex-just ask the International Olympic Committee, which has been struggling with this issue for years-I don't believe DNA drives the challenges women have gbdfe!jo!uif!xpslqmbdf/!Sbuifs-!bt!J!ibwf!tbje!jo!qbtu! sffdujpot-!uif!xpslqmbdf!ibtou!cffo!eftjhofe!up! account for women's unique strengths and needs. That's the case in politics, and it is the case in brand communications and marketing. The pandemic has put this issue in stark relief. "COVID-19 has had a mixed impact on gender frvbmjuz!jo!uif!xpslqmbdf!tp!gbs-!tbje!Sptjf! Cook, founder and CEO of the London-based transformational swimwear company Deakin and Blue. "For example, The Lily reported in April that male academics were submitting up to 50 percent more papers than they would normally while women were submitting fewer during the coronavirus. Their hypothesis? That activities such as childcare, homeschooling, cleaning, sourcing food, etc. were falling disproportionately to women when normal support systems and infrastructure (e.g., daycare, schools, cleaning services) were paused under COVID-19." Let's face it: Women and men alike are exhausted by this pandemic. In the US, quarantine fatigue and agita have sparked protests (now eclipsed by protests of a different sort), further exacerbating political divisions. The rest of the world grapples, too, with how quickly and completely to reopen. No one knows for sure what will happen next, with many of us seesawing between cautious optimism and unbridled panic. And yet, even amid all this uncertainty and fear, I can't help but feel there is an opportunity to champion change. Early in the pandemic, we saw what I called the "COVID pivot"-small businesses bobbing and weaving, rethinking their output and modes of operation and communicating with their customers-whether B2B, B2C, or even P2P (person-to-person)-in creative ways to make it through the crisis. Why not encourage a second pivot, one in which women assert more control over their destinies and refuse to continue to accept the inequities that have been tolerated for far too long? !J!uijol!xf!ibwf!b!npnfou!jo!ujnf!up!obmmz! replace the 'motherhood penalty' with the npuifsippe!sfxbse-!tbje!Dmbvejb!Sfvufs-!Hfofsbm! Manager, Americas East at Techstars. Based in Cptupo-!Sfvufs!jt!iptu!pg!Uif!54!Qfsdfou!qpedbtu! and author of Yes, You Can Do This! How Women Start Up, Scale Up, and Build the Life They Want . She continued: "We know women who become mothers face misperceptions in the workplace, lower pay, and are less likely to be promoted. As we return to normal, I hope the crisis will remind people of how many skills parenting actually requires and reward people for managing careers and family."
Will WFH Be the Great Gender Equalizer?
Millions of people suddenly working from home full time has created not only new ways of working but also new attitudes regarding work. Marketers need to pay attention to these shifts and reorient their communications to match emerging realities. Employers, too, need to push through changes to maximize their available workforces. "A lot more women could stay on [in their dbsffst^!jg!uifz!xfsf!bmmpxfe!b!npsf!fyjcmf!xpsl! plan they could design around their family needs," said Emma de Cassan, founder and CEO, Il Faro Wedding in London. "I work for myself, and I love the fact I can do a few hours in the evenings and a couple of hours during nap times and at weekends, meaning I stay on top of my workload whilst being present for my kids. Why shouldn't others who don't xpsl!gps!uifntfmwft!ibwf!uibu!tbnf!fyjcjmjuz@!Xiz! do you have to be tied to a desk 9-5?" But for these new ways of working to become a game-changer for gender equality, we need a much deeper mindset change when it comes to the division of labor between men and women at home. We have a long way to go on that score. According to a survey by Syndio, 14 percent of women considered quitting their jobs during the pandemic to cope with increased family demands. What is even more shocking is the disconnect between men's and women's perceptions of the issue. Sfgfssjoh!up!qpmmjoh!cz!Npsojoh!Dpotvmu! for the New York Times , Barcelona-based Jenni Cardamone, director of partnerships at Devex, said: "With nearly half of men saying they do most of the homeschooling and only 3 percent of women agreeing, this pandemic is exposing a clear disconnect between perceived roles and sftqpotjcjmjujft!boe!uif!tbdsjdft!uibu!fbdi!qbsfou! makes. By acknowledging these perception gaps and the stark contrast-as well as the 'mental load' a lot of women carry, even in 'normal' times-hopefully one of the positives emerging from this moment in time is a more balanced approach to child-rearing, housework, and other domestic activities that traditionally fall to women." As we assess our marketing practices against these changes, it is worth narrowing one's nbslfuqmbdfgpdvtjoh!po!botxfsjoh!wfsz!tqfdjd! needs. This means marketing to one household or even one individual at a time, even as we search for messages that resonate with many. For instance, addressing working mothers whose kids need to be educated and entertained at home during the traditional workday; individual students who need to oe!uif!sjhiu!uvupst!boe!uvupst!xip!offe!tuvefout
Technology as an Enabler
The pandemic has forced us to rewrite the rules governing our lives at work and home, and many of us are making smart use of technology to accomplish all that's required. Inspired by the current situation, numerous new companies and platforms are popping up to cater to emerging needs and desires-led by those who do not want to see this moment pass without progress. In the US, SynaVoice founder and women's bewpdbuf!Kvmjf!Spuiipvtf!ibt!mbvodife!TzobWpjdf! SOL (Summer OnLine), a pop-up summer camp for
WHAT TO WATCH:
WOMEN MAKING PERSONAL PIVOTS FOR PROGRESS
By Marian Salzman
SPECIAL WONDER WOMAN FEATURE
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