How the work-from-home revolution supercharged women's careers

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The pandemic didn't derail women's careers. It supercharged them.

An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.2020 was a bad year for everyone, but it was especially tough for working women. The COVID-19 shutdowns led to mass layoffs in female-dominated sectors of the economy, from healthcare to hospitality, while school and daycare closings made it virtually impossible for mothers with young kids to hold on to their jobs. Millions of women were forced to drop out of the workforce.

The surge has been aided by a strong economic recovery. But it isn't just that. Even during a boom time for job seekers, men have not returned to work in the same numbers as women. And the biggest gains, surprisingly, have been among women in their 30s — the age when college-educated women often start having kids, prompting them to scale back or quit their jobs.

During the 20th century, the share of women in the American workforce rose steadily, aided by changing gender norms, antidiscrimination laws, access to higher education, and the pill. But around 2000, that century of progress ground to a halt, and it's not entirely clear why. Some point to the growing time demands of elite positions in professions like law and banking, which shut women with children out of the most lucrative jobs. Others point to the soaring cost of childcare.

Those gains, however, could be undercut by a new development: corporate America's push to force employees to return to the office. Across the economy, the share of remote and hybrid postings on job-search sites like Indeed has declined in recent months. Without the flexibility of work from home, many women with children could be forced to give up their jobs. And those who do manage to find remote work could pay a steep penalty for shunning the office.

 

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