Even as the U.S. moves out of the pandemic phase, women’s labor force participation continues to be impacted by COVID. As we covered in this series earlier this year, there are 1 million fewer women in the workforce now as compared to the start of the pandemic. Despite an ever-expanding scope of worthy responsibilities competing for CEO attention and investment, some CEOs are recognizing this specific issue as a space where they can have positive impact.
In March polling of a select group of CEOs part of the Transformative ommunity, 38% reported they have taken recent action specifically in support of women returning to the workforce. Other Purple Strategies polling indicates the positive impact those CEO actions could have beyond increasing women’s workforce participation to contributing to a more favorable reputation of their organization as well.
When polled in May 2022, 80% of the Informed Public said they would be more likely to consider a company as a place they’d want to work, buy from or do business if they knew the company worked to support and retain women in their organization during the pandemic.