“Women have won the pandemic”

Saturday at 3pm was when my world turned dark. Child two was sent home from a party vomiting. By 4pm, the youngest was at it. By 6pm it was me and then our oldest was sent home from her sleepover. It was REVOLTING.

Sunday was a write off of wall-to-wall ‘Salvage Hunters’. If you have questions about Irish vernacular furniture or alabaster lampshades, call me immediately to discuss.

Monday was flashback day as all three were off and we were back in lockdown-homeschool-mode.

A woman I know told me recently that a number of the male-dominated boards she sits on had shared a view that the pandemic has been ‘won’ by women.

The Wins

I asked William Eccleshare, CEO of Clear Channel International, what he thought these boards would see this ‘win’ as. He started by stating clearly that the ‘win’ line isn’t his view (do not sent him hate mail!), pointing out the losses women have faced. But, he tried to explain the perception:

“They would argue that the case for flexible working has been proven. And even the most cynical have been convinced that WFH does actually mean *working* from home. This forced experiment has led to a greater understanding of different ways of working, which women—and those in caring roles—have been arguing for for years.”

Hearing him say that filled me with a moment of exuberance.

There ARE positives from the pandemic and it is telling that the most macho (👋 big American banks and current government) are the only ones battling to return to the five day week.

But, they are swimming against the tide—a recent YouGov survey found that 71% of people (and 74% of Tory voters) prefer working from home.

Making work work

The real learning from my book research told me, and my focus as we approach International Women’s Day:

🧭 location is only one small piece of the puzzle

⏰ total hours are key

Excessive hours culture has got worse—without commutes, breaks and lunch, the work day lacks boundaries.

😩 stress points

The task-led drive to complete work clashes with the in-the-moment needs of kids—the challenge is how we separate the two.

As it turned out, Monday was a joy! I’d been due at a funeral so had booked the day off and could dedicate it wholly to the girls: we made cards, numbered the steps on St Catherine’s Hill and played rummy. But I was still flipping delighted to drop them back to school in the morning.

Next week:

Is the four day week bollocks?

Christine