Jane Doty Member of the Michigan Works! Association Board of Directors talks with Chris Holman about women in the workforce, how the pandemic has impacted women, and the barriers of childcare. She also highlights March 7-13 as being designated as Women in Construction Week and the importance of celebration!

Watch the full interview with Jane now!

TRANSCRIPT

With March being Women’s History Month, it seems like a good time to talk about women in the workforce. I know the pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on women. Can you talk with me about that?

· Between 2015 and 2020, women made slow but steady representation progress in the workforce.

· When the pandemic started in 2020 that progress not only came to a halt but careened backwards.

· The unemployment rate for women across all races is 6 percent, but that number spikes dramatically for women of color, who are still facing unemployment rates closer to 9 percent, as of January 2021.

· Women were hit particularly hard by the pandemic and its related economic impact, from mothers shouldering the majority of child and domestic care to women in the service and hospitality industries.

· The pandemic has been particularly hard on women of color and women with disabilities.

· Women of color are more likely to have been laid off or furloughed during the COVID-19 crisis, stalling their careers and jeopardizing their financial security.

· For women with disabilities, doing their jobs amid the pandemic is extra difficult.

· They are less likely to report getting the flexibility they need at work during the pandemic, and they are more likely to feel excluded, in the dark, and uninformed.

Child care has always been considered a barrier to employment but the pandemic has intensified that barrier. Can you tell us more about that?

· A lack of affordable childcare keeps many parents out of the workforce.

· Prior to the pandemic, of non-working parents in low-income households, 70 percent cite “taking care of home/family” as the reason they are not working.

· Quality childcare is often unaffordable for low-wage earners who are ineligible for assistance.

· According to data from the Center for American Progress and Child Care Aware of America, childcare costs have increased by a whopping 61 percent in Michigan during the pandemic.

· This increase is one of the largest across the nation.

· According to a recent survey by the Michigan Women’s Commission, the majority of parents prefer to care for their children themselves in their home or use family and friends for childcare during the pandemic.

· When asked about post-pandemic, nearly half of the respondents reported a desire to send their kids outside the home to licensed childcare centers.

· This survey indicates there will be a dramatic and immediate surge in demand for licensed childcare options at a time when Michigan’s childcare infrastructure is already in need of support for staffing, slot availability and overall sustainability.

· The result of these dynamics has caused on in four women to contemplate downshifting their careers or leaving the workforce altogether.

· Recent estimates from the Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives, show that over 125,000 Michigan women have left the workforce entirely since February 2020 and the unemployment rate for women in Michigan is double what it was pre-pandemic.

The week of March 7-13 is designated as Women in Construction Week. Why is this an important celebration?

· The focus of Women in Construction Week is to highlight women as a visible component of the construction industry.

· Leaders in business, government, labor and others in Michigan have been launching programs and initiatives to encourage more women to consider jobs in construction because it is such an in-demand field.

· Of the over 179,000 jobs in the Michigan construction sector last year, 14 percent were held by women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

· Additionally, Michigan women accounted for 2,150 out of 19,730 active registered apprenticeships in 2019, representing just under 11 percent of the total.

· The Michigan Apprentice Steering Committee Inc., a statewide group of business, labor, education and government, has been working to lure more people to these industries.

· They recently announced winners of its 2020 top apprentice program in manufacturing and construction and two young women took top honors.

· As new construction projects are expected to stabilize and return to low growth in 2021, and new construction industry jobs are expected to balloon by almost 2 million in 2022, companies are looking to recruit more women than ever before to bring their skill sets into the field.

· There is still much work to be done to fully include women in construction.

· To increase recruitment and improve retention, companies need to acknowledge and remove gender bias from work culture, develop training programs and local mentorship groups specific to the needs of women, include more women in the hiring process, and encourage women to become role models for other women.

· Schools and educational programs need to highlight the value of construction jobs for women and young girls so they can see the industry as a viable career path.

· With more and more groundbreaking women chipping away at gendered norms and leveling the playing field, the industry is taking bigger steps at becoming a more diverse and inclusive space for future generations.

How can our listeners learn more about the Michigan Works! Association and the Michigan Works! network?

· You can visit our website at michiganworks.org to learn more about the Association.

· On the Association website you will also find a map that will link you to the websites of each of our Michigan Works! organizations.