Women in the workforce and the double bind
What steps can credit unions take to promote work-life balance and career advancement for women facing competing demands?
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues into its third year, many women continue to face outsized challenges in finding and maintaining stability, success and advancement at work because they are caught in a double bind between job demands and family obligations.
Women in the workplace often feel the competing demands of work and home more than their male counterparts. The pandemic only intensified that tendency when many employees were asked to work from home full time indefinitely, which blurred the boundaries between work and home life more than ever before.
Studies show that most household responsibilities fall to women, even if they work full time, including caring for children, elderly parents or other family members. This is the double bind for working women: Decision-making around how to prioritize home obligations against work obligations can be fraught and make women feel they can’t win in either situation, no matter what they decide to do.
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