Managers anticipate negative impact of Covid on women

More than double the number of managers believe childcare issues during the pandemic will have a negative impact on women compared to men, according to a survey by the Chartered Management Institute.

The survey of 1,189 practising managers based in the UK, 52% of whom were men, found that 42% believed a lack of childcare will have a negative impact for female employees, while just 20% believe it will be a problem for men. They survey was conducted in August on behalf of The Guardian. Managers were also asked how they thought the progression of female employees would be impacted by a phased return: 58% said they did not think there would be any impact.

Ann Francke, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), has warned that a Government drive to get people back into the workplace could create a two-tier system that sees white men in the office making important decisions while women and people from ethnic minorities are excluded at home.

She also suggested that the Financial Conduct Authority rather than the Equality and Human Rights Commission should be tasked with fining companies that fail to address gender pay gaps, saying that while it is “a matter of importance” for the commission, “they don’t have the wherewithal or enforcement capability”.

She adds that investors and CEOs tend to listen to financial regulators. Francke also lauds the shift to flexible and remote working, saying she thinks companies that offer flexible and blended working will benefit “because they’ll have a much broader talent pool.”

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