Women Misbehavin'

Well, not exactly.  CNN recently reported that the number of women in the workforce could surpass the number of men.  While on the surface this may sound like good news for working women, when you dig a little deeper you realize it’s only a reflection of our current economic crisis.

The surge of women working is not because of increased opportunities, but rather because male dominated jobs are collapsing at a higher rate.  Male dominated industries are being hit hardest and more families are relying on women to pick up the slack.  Because jobs held by men are being downsized rapidly, women are taking on more responsibility and feeling the pressure to be the central caregiver and bread winner of their family.

As the recession continues to drag on there is a power shift happening in homes across the country.  Women are suddenly gaining an unprecedented level of decision making power as more men are unable to make the family’s majority income.  As a result, this is forcing women to take on more responsibility, often for the first time, that could have a lasting impact on their family’s dynamic.

While women do enjoy contributing financially to their family’s income, it can place a huge strain on their mental health and impact their time and capacity for caregiving responsibilities.  This role shift will inevitably bring on increased stress and challenges as women struggle to achieve any sort of work-life balance.

Is there a silver lining to all of this?  In an ideal world women should have the freedom to make constructive decisions about their work and career choices, and not be forced into an unyielding situation.  Unfortunately though given the predicted length of this recession women may not experience that luxury for months and years to come.  Therefore it’s important to understand how women and advocates can make the most out of our changing workforce.

Even during these hard times, we have an opportunity to recognize the contributions women make in the workplace and the financial power they hold.  Equally important, policymakers have the chance to appropriately react to this employment shift by supporting legislation reflective of the needs of women.  As policy decisions are made around job creation and ways to stimulate the economy, diversity should be incorporated.  This includes creating programs and positions that can be geared towards women even in industries that might be considered male dominated such as manufacturing and infrastructure.

Finally, with more women in the workplace the vocal demand for better work-life policies and flexibility will rise from a murmur to a yell as women’s needs move to the forefront.  Women need to capitalize on this and use the workforce trend to their advantage to demand better economic and workplace policies reflective of their increasingly complex lives.

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