A personal take on The Shecession.

May 6

I'm not afraid to come clean about my feelings of failure and disappointment in finding and being employed as a woman after having children. ‘The Shecession' named by Nicole Mason, president of the Washington-based Institute for Women's Policy Research refers to “the economic downturn where job and income losses are affecting women more than men”. [1] It’s happening here in Australia too between Feb-Oct 2020 61% of COVID-19 job losses in Australia, and 83% in Victoria, were experienced by women [2] You can read more about the stats and facts around the internet [3] but on a personal level this concept really stirred something up in me. Truth is having fewer women in the workforce has a detrimental effect on more than just the economy. Throughout this article, I refer to women and mothers in the workforce from my personal experience.

Being out of the workforce- its long term effects

Being out of the workforce has had major impacts on my personal confidence and I'm not alone. Since becoming a mother, I've gained employment and lost a job too. A humiliating, heartbreaking experience that left me in a slump for an extended period of time. My experience was disappointing but little did I know that COVID-19 would make the same happen to women around the world. A pandemic of its own, the effect on wellbeing and mental health of being ‘out of work’ can’t be underestimated however it’s not just the economy and women’s well-being being affected.

Organisational Capability

Unfortunately having fewer women in employment may also be detrimental to an organization's capabilities and resulting success. Underutilisation and underrepresentation of the female qualities and things we are just intrinsically good at can leave a company falling short. Imagine shunning transformational leadership, multitasking, empathetic working, humility, and engaging EQ right alongside IQ [4]. It’s disappointing that these female leadership gems are still being overlooked. What about the motivation of mothers in the workplace? Since becoming a mother my own efficiency has increased exponentially with my motivation to be at work increasing threefold (one fold for each child). I jest, but I'm not sure if it goes unnoticed or is merely underappreciated. In my eyes being a mother makes a candidate highly employable, trustworthy and commited.

Alternatives to conventional employment

Naturally, as the female problem solver I am, I turned inward to solve the problem of getting back to work and decided to start my own business (I’m now on to my third) but I miss everything that comes with being in gainful employment. From a more handsome pay packet (if I did the maths I’d be scared to see my hourly rate) to the lack of any feedback, personal development, or those beautiful social connections- the cherished ‘work friends’. As much as flying solo is rewarding at the peaks, the consistent need to be relentless with self-promotion, motivation and actually getting the work done goes against our cyclical nature. Often the troughs can hit hard with feelings of deflation, frustration or worse, burnout. The practical issues of paying your own super and private parties of one this Christmas and beyond can snub out the romanticized vision of being your own boss. As humans, we crave validation, appreciation, and empathy [5] self-employed or not.

Success Stories

Of course, it's not all doom and gloom. Always seeking inspiration, I have connected with Gemma Vendetta through our clean beauty journeys and being makeup artists working with real women in the industry. Gemma created her own natural makeup line, GVC, after successful funding through the government's NEIS (New Enterprise Incentive Scheme) [6] Gemma is a woman and a mother who saw a gap in the market so made it herself. We now use GVC Mineral Powder foundation in place of our old MAC favorites in all professional makeups in our Brisbane-based clean beauty bar, The Eco Makeup Bar. With a talc-free formula, cruelty-free, personalised compacts plus SPF 25 we won’t be turning back anytime soon. Gemma has since been nominated for the Telstra business awards, won many natural beauty awards with her products plus spoken on her journey to starting her own business hosted by the Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE). She has successfully created a clean beauty line that can out-perform many conventional products without the added toxic load, a huge achievement, alongside being a mother.

Brands getting on board

I stumbled upon The Encoreship Program by Alpha H [7] in one of my late-night job trawls that usually include Seek, Indeed and Linkedin in to name a few. A weekly ritual where I seek my ‘unicorn job’ that has been made just for me and will satisfy my needs for progression, development and ‘my time to shine’. Dubbed ‘a returnship program’, this is a trailblazing collab between some big-name brands to get women back into the workforce plus provide them with skills and expertise. Basically a leg up and a huge acknowledgment of what they’ve been achieving while not in conventional employment. Brands involved so far are Alpha-H Skincare, Mamamia, Shhh Silk, NLOM, and ettitude. Brands looking to join the collective can register here. Applications for individuals for 2021 have closed but you can express your interest here for the next intake. I have.

Being Proactive

Pretending that there’s not a problem or acting like you aren’t worthy of the cause because there are so many other important causes in the world isn't going to help. The more we realise, acknowledge and talk about the need to represent women in the workforce the better our future and our children's futures will be. Yes, we need more inclusive recruitment processes allowing more representation of our real-life communities but on a personal level don’t be a victim. In my circles of running a small business, I see there can be a fear in promoting yourself. Often we will find a reason to talk small, not show up for ourselves but in the long run, it’s not helping the cause. ‘To be discovered’ is a romantic notion we were taught by the movies (FYI I love the movies) but in real life we need a proactive approach, talking about the problem and making the first move by pitching to our dream companies or starting a conversation. You simply can’t wait to be saved.

Amy Hughes is a freelance writer based in Brisbane, Australia. She believes that real talk resonates. With a niche in the clean beauty industry, she loves to empower and inspire with her down-to-earth style. Her background in psychology plus years of working in the beauty industry with real women informs her aspirational but realistic approach. Mum of three, Amy is passionate about women’s issues and writes honestly about her own experiences in the hope to raise awareness and inspire others. Connect with Amy on Instagram or read more at amy-hughes.com