According to new research, up to two million women across the country are considering taking a leave of absence or dropping out of the workforce completely because of issues related to or exacerbated by the COVID pandemic.
Among the findings:
- Less than a third of U.S. companies have adjusted their performance review criteria to account for pandemic-related challenges.
- Only about half of employers have updated employees about their plans for performance reviews or productivity expectations during the pandemic.
- Few employers have managed to address the root causes of employee stress and burnout during the pandemic.
- Many employees, especially parents and caregivers, feel that they have to choose between falling short of pre-pandemic expectations and pushing themselves to maintain an unsustainable pace.
- More than half of companies have increased paid leave, and about a third have added or expanded stipends to offset work-from-home expenses.
- Mothers are more than three times as likely as fathers to be responsible for the lion’s share of housework and caregiving.
- During the pandemic, women are 1.5 times more likely than fathers to be spending an additional three or more hours per day on housework and childcare.
- Women report childcare responsibilities as the primary reason they are thinking about leaving the workforce or moving to part-time work.
- Senior-level women are 1.5 times more likely than senior-level men to think about downshifting their role or leaving the workforce because of pandemic-related issues. Nearly three in four say that burnout is the main reason for this decision.
