Isabella Bass

Women have already had their fair share of struggles when it comes to the workplace and moving up. However, the pandemic really threw a wrench into what was already a difficult situation.

The pandemic has left everyone in a state of burnout, but women seem to be suffering from this more than men according to a 2021 report. For example, 42% of women said they were burned out from work in 2021, compared to 32% the year before. In another study, the data shows that women of color experience similar microaggressions to what they did two years ago, and that the less a company is committed to racial equity in their business, the more microaggressions these women seem to experience.

It appears that women are taking on more leadership roles than men since the beginning of 2020, but their work is going increasingly unnoticed. This is unfortunate, because women are shown to be more supportive managers. In terms of emotional support, 19% of male managers provide emotional support, and 54% check in on the employees’ general well-being. However, 31% of female managers provide emotional support to their employees, and 61% check in on their well-being.

In workplace terms, 16% of male managers take active steps to manage burnout and 36% make sure the workload their employees face is manageable. However, 21% of female managers take active steps to manage burnout among their employees and 42% actively make sure the workload is manageable. These are all small, but very important things to have in a workplace.

We can’t minimize the damage that stress and burnout can cause, and we have to acknowledge and understand the consequences of this. Recognizing women for their hard work is something that has increased in importance, and is easy to take for granted and let fall to the wayside. Small instances of discrimination or unequal treatment of women in the workplace can have tremendous effects, and we all need to do our part, even in what seems minimal. This is how the pandemic has affected women in leadership positions, and it’s important that we do our part to improve this issue.