Page 32 - BusinessWest March, 21, 2022

Beyond the Numbers
What Are the Barriers to Women’s Economic Security?
By Joseph Bednar
The numbers speak for themselves. But more importantly, they demand a response.
According to a global study published in the Lancet, between March 2020 and September 2021, women were more likely to report employ- ment loss than men during the pandemic (26.0% to 20.4%), as well as more likely to drop out of
“We felt as though the many ways society was looking at women’s economic security was too narrow of a lens. So we created our own framework.”
school or forgo work to care for others.
“The most significant gender gaps identified in our study show intensified levels of pre-exist-
ing, widespread inequalities between women and men during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report reads. “Political and social leaders should prioritize policies that enable and encourage women to participate in the labor force and con-
tinue their education, thereby equipping and enabling them with greater ability to overcome the barriers they face.”
That’s exactly what the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts — and a broad network of like-minded partners — have in mind through an effort they’re calling the Greater Springfield Women’s Economic Security Hub.
“We felt as though the many ways society was looking at women’s economic security was too narrow of a lens,” said Donna Haghighat, CEO
of the Women’s Fund. “So we created our own framework, where we considered the factors that affect some women’s economic security as more expansive than what other people might think.”
That includes a lack of unpaid caregiving. During the pandemic, that issue was the domi- nant factor in women dropping out of the work- force at an uprecendeted rate. The numbers have recovered somewhat, but not all the way, and
the factors causing the workforce exodus remain problematic.
“Women weren’t dropping out of the work- force because they wanted to stay at home and eat bon-bons, but because schools were closed or childcare centers were closed, and someone needs to be home with the children,” Haghighat said. “Oftentimes, because of pay differentials and so forth, it made more sense for women to
Donna Haghighat says the factors holding women back in the workforce must be fully understood in order to shift the tide.
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