Bureau of Economic Research. Further, women often incur a pay penalty on returning to work after a prolonged absence — like after having a child or now withstanding a pandemic — earning up to 7 percent less than men in the same position, according to PayScale. And only two in five of the 12.1 million jobs lost by women from February to April have returned, according to the National Women’s Law Center. For moms who have exited the workforce to care for kids and want to return years later, Cave hopes for a future where employers or government policy would provide for reentry education and training to fill in gaps in areas like technology. “You don’t need two years to catch up, but you might need an 8-week course,” said Cave. “On a societal level, we have to figure out what the value of [working moms] is and if there are social policies to help support that.” Some of the practices businesses have put into place during the pandemic to support working parents could morph into long- term options to increase retention. Sharpe’s company is considering more flexible work- from-home policies. While to businesses and
employees alike, government initiatives like tax support and FFCRA may have felt like a Band-Aid, Cave says they were both fairly unusual and a good example of policy-level changes to examine for the future. “This is a good opportunity for us to all take a minute and reflect where our priorities are, from the working parent to those in a position of policy making in business to policy makers on state or national levels,” said Cave. Sharpe says when employers create more flexible policies that support working parents, they’re ultimately choosing success for their business. “Studies have shown women in leadership positions have led to more successful organizations,” said Sharpe. “You want employees to show up happy to be at work because ultimately they are creating your product. For your customers to be happy, that starts with the employee.” Bryant is proud that Kimray pays employees 100 percent of their salary when on maternity or paternity leave. She believes for long- lasting change businesses have to realize that what working parents are doing in their time
away from the job is just as important as their careers, and supporting them in those efforts reinforces their professional commitment. “We have to reevaluate how we’re compensating team members and ensuring people don’t fall behind,” said Bryant of assessing the gender pay gap. “When something [like the pandemic] becomes so widespread that it affects everyone and brings to light the issues we have, it’s the perfect time for working women to use our voices.” Francka has used her position to help educate those around her about the hardships of being a working mom and the value in supporting them. She finds hope in watching how other moms around the metro — and the globe — have been open about the challenges, too. “That fact opens the door for all of us to talk about our experiences as working moms, and that door will remain open after the pandemic and only help us from an equity perspective,” said Francka. “If we all band together and talk about how important this stuff is, we’re either in leadership positions where we can make change or we can influence leaders to make change.”
Pre-K through eighth grade 600 NW 44 Street, OKC 405-524-0631 westminsterschool.org
For more information, contact Rebecca Skarky, Director of Admissions, at 405-524-0631 ext. 123
Westminster School admits students of any race, color, religion, or national and ethnic origin. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, or national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, financial aid program, athletic, and other school-administered activities.
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / DECEMBER 2020 25
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