I was fortunate enough to work from home for over fifteen years and my run of good luck might be running out. Before the pandemic, it meant finding jobs in the local market that allowed me flexibility or something with a large, dispersed global presence. I was not able to take the opportunities that my peers in bigger cities had access to. It was a choice I made - to stay where I was for the greater good of my family even if that meant limited career opportunities. Remote work brought by the pandemic allowed me to work for companies that would have been completely out of the realm before that. I jumped in and it has worked great so far - both for me and my employers.
Around the world, I am sure there are millions of such stories. Of women, disadvantaged people of different stripes who magically had doors opened for them that had until then been out of their reach. Once in, the realized to their surprise and happiness that they were more than well-qualified for these roles that had been inaccessible to them. The companies benefited too from the diversity of talent coming from traditionally overlooked areas. All good things come to and end and no surprise that women will pay disproportionately more for it. This story is an example of the kind of trade-offs a woman is forced to make
This fall, the Manhattan-based advertising agency she works for decided to go from remote to a hybrid in-office schedule. She knew that "wasn't going to be sustainable," not only because of the long commute since she's moved further away, but also because her newborn will only eat if being breastfed.
For the health of herself and her baby, she reached an understanding with her boss that she would not come into the office regularly, although she said had she not been a new mother, she would have been pressured to come in.
Replace the newborn baby with other needs that bind the woman to her home - lack of after-school care, her desire to take care of her health and well-being while being a mother, wife and employee. If employers do not value what these women bring to the table and create conditions that make employment untenable, it is as much their loss as it is for the women.
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