Welcome to March, National Women’s History Month. As the way we work continues to evolve, there is no greater time than now to consider how women’s roles have evolved—and will continue to evolve in the workplace.
According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, there are roughly 2.2 million open jobs and not enough skilled people to fill them. While there are opportunities for all workers to step up, women can certainly also help fill in this gap. A closer look at the history of how we got to where we are today, and the worker of tomorrow might be in order here.
The History of the Month of March
The U.S. Census Bureau helps paints a picture of the history of National Women’s History Month, which was established by presidential proclamation.
If you don’t mind, journey back with me for a minute. It all began back on March 8, 1857, when female textile workers marched in protest of unfair working conditions and unequal rights for women. It was one of the first organized strikes by working women where they were calling for a shorter workday and decent wages.
This day has become an iconic day for women for more than 150 years. On March 8, in 1908, women workers in the needle trades marched through New York City’s Lower East Side to protest child labor, sweatshop working conditions, and demand women’s suffrage.
Beginning in 1910, March 8 became annually observed as International Women’s Day, and in 1911 the first International Women’s Day gathering was held and supported by more than a million people.
Women’s History Week was instituted in 1978, to begin adding women’s history into educational curricula. In 1987, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to include all of March as a celebration of the economic, political, and social contributions of women. Thus, now we have National Women’s History Month.
Today’s Focus
Certainly, today’s women in the workforce face many challenges. Women are five-to-eight times more likely than men to have their employment affected by caregiver responsibilities. They are also more likely to have large pay gaps. For instance, women aged 16-24 have earnings that are about 8% lower than men’s—and the gap continues to rise as women age. Women aged 65 and older earn 27% less than men of the same age.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day 2024 is Inspire Inclusion, which means to embrace their diversity of race, age, ability, faith, body image, and how they identify. When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment. It is the ying and the yang. We need both to inspire inclusion for all women.
There are many ways to get involved. Businesses, organizations, and people can all play a part in International Women’s Day. Below are a few ideas:
- Think about how you recruit, retain, and develop female talent.
- Consider how you support women and girls in leadership, decisionmaking, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
- Identify how we design and build infrastructure to meet the needs of women and girls.
- Think about how we involve women and girls in sustainable agriculture and food security.
- Consider how we provide women and girls with access to quality education and training.
- Identify how we build manufacturing plants with women in mind—something Oshkosh Defense has done.
Certainly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much we can do to support women in the workforce. We must start by considering their wants and needs in the workforce.
The Worker of Tomorrow
In our soon-to-be released study of the Worker of Tomorrow, we have the data to better understand what is going on inside of the minds of today’s workers. As industries, we will need to take this information and turn it into better outcomes for our businesses.
We must understand the different needs and wants of today’s workers. Each has a unique set of plans and motivators. Today’s leaders need to step up and act aggressively if they want to truly address the labor shortage. They need to pivot their thinking. They need to recognize that each employee is unique. A slew of employees seek opportunities for career growth, pay and benefits, and great flexibility. Others want mentorship and to inspire change for humanity. A common thread across all talent seems to be technology in an age of information.
The answer is not necessarily a linear one, but it requires further research and study—and it starts by understanding who the worker of tomorrow is.
Perhaps, then, the discussion surrounding women in the workplace needs to start with one question: What do women want from work today? Once we successfully answer this, we can open new opportunities to women and workers in general to help spur innovation in businesses for years to come. Let’s start this journey right now.
Want to tweet about this article? Use hashtags #IoT #sustainability #AI #5G #cloud #edge #futureofwork #digitaltransformation #green #ecosystem #environmental #circularworld #women #workeroftomorrow