Women and career

One of the most complicated markets in the economy is the labor market, since it concerns people and not products. It’s fast and hard to follow, so once they’re in, people tend to stay in it. In this context, women are particularly affected. Their careers do not follow straight lines, but are as dynamic as the market itself.

2019 is an important year for women, especially women lawyers.
This year marks the centenary of women being able to practice law; that year, four women at the top of their class at Cambridge University were allowed to pass their law exams and become lawyers.

Since then, important steps have been taken to ensure that women find their rightful space in the labor market and to promote opportunities for equality between men and women. Women have more rights and can work in any sector they want, but there are still some unresolved “issues”.

As mentioned above, the job market is complicated and finding a satisfactory solution for people is not easy. Women have a social position that requires them to have more responsibilities; a woman has the right to have a career, but also to become a mother and to be a wife. For these and other reasons, women leave the job market more often than men, and it is more difficult for them to re-enter.

According to Forbes research, conducted in 2019, it appears that recruiters and employers seem unlikely to ignore a pause in the resume or appreciate the fact that many women’s careers do not follow straight lines. The solution would be to find a new way to connect talented, experienced and ambitious women with jobs that reflect their experience.

But what happens when a woman goes on maternity leave? Many times they are promised that nothing will change and that when they return they will have all their customers, but often this does not happen.

The findings show that fewer than one in five women feel confident returning to work after maternity leave. There is, in fact, a so-called “Back to Work Syndrome”. The most common absence that women experience is that linked to motherhood. However, Back to Work Syndrome not only affects mothers, but also applies to those returning to work after absences due to layoffs, chronic illness or family medical leave, active duty, prolonged bereavement, and personal or professional changes.

Other research from the Harvard Business Review suggests that many companies do not adequately support women in their return to work, often leaving them frustrated and disappointed. In many companies, parental leave is seen as a major interruption.

On the other hand, there are also many positive signs from companies where managers recognize parental leave as little more than a brief interlude in a person’s long-term career. Research findings demonstrate that in these supportive corporate cultures, women who return to work report having new energy and focus for their work, feeling valued, and having improved professional relationships.
More and more companies are moving towards this type of “wellbeing” and using unique programs for new parents as a strategy to attract and retain talent. There are important recommendations and findings from the research that organizations should take into consideration and further develop into a strategic vision.

Companies should view parental leave as a short interlude, not a major interruption, and pay more attention to the transition phase. They should offer “check-in days” during leave and a phased return that increases from three days a week to four, and then to five. Several research suggests that it may be helpful to set up mentoring programs for returning employees, in which they pair experienced workers who also have caring experience with new parent workers, or they could consider group coaching programs or support systems informal.