2020 has been a challenging year. The pandemic has created tectonic like fissures across the globe; in business, government, at work, in our schools, churches, and in our communities, homes and families. Those able to work during the pandemic staged remote work stations from kitchen tables, guest bedrooms, living room sofas, and home offices. All of this happened while millions of school children participated in distance learning, making impromptu appearances in their parents’ VC’s for a hug, a snack, or just to see who their parents were talking to on their laptops.
This Podcast was no exception. We recorded the first seven shows pre-Covid and then our progress was derailed with the challenges of keeping our respective careers and businesses in entertainment going when everything was shutting down, helping family and friends as they course corrected and adjusted and dug into whatever community assistance we contribute to.
Women have been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. According to an analysis from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC), nearly 2.2 million women left the workforce between February and October 2020. The pandemic has encouraged employers to redesign the work schedule to retain women in the workforce. Working parents have found that they need assistance with scheduling and flexibility. Consolidating daily meetings into blocks allows parents to schedule child care, doctor’s appointments as well as structure the work day.
Surprisingly, the pandemic has created digital opportunities for not just women working in film and television, but across all industry platforms. I’m optimistic the pandemic will not only help recalibrate how we work, but reframe the conversation on gender equity io bridge the income gap between men and women.
Shirley Jackson 12/19/20
