Global Women's Leadership Network - Pink Paper

ISSUE #3: SUPPORT WORK/LIFE BALANCE The overwhelming majority of GWLN members described the challenge of trying to balance work and life commitments. They report cultural and gender norms that require women to shoulder the burden of caring for families. From taking time off to incurring significant additional costs, GWLN members report they struggle to “have it all.” Nearly all interviewees cited challenges with balancing family caregiving responsibilities, participating in community organizations, volunteering, and/or pursuing education. Even with strong support, GWLN members reported significant challenges in the workplace because of their roles as caregivers. This includes sometimes stepping away from their jobs and being subsequently set back in their career advancement. This reflects entrenched beliefs about women’s roles that pose emotional burdens and, in some cases, significant financial cost, including for one leader who reported spending half her salary to pay for child care. Women also described how gender stereotypes about family caregiving include normative beliefs that men cannot care for children. WHAT CREDIT UNIONS CAN DO TO SUPPORT WORK/LIFE BALANCE #1: Offer sessions and services that reinforce the importance of well-being and stress reduction GWLN members say that enabling work/life balance is key to enabling women to accede to leadership. They strongly advocate for credit unions to prioritize the work/life balance of their employees, especially women, whose advancement in leadership must not come at the cost of their well-being. One leader set up listening committees for women to share their experiences and, in so doing, sent a message about the importance of the well-being of employees, their families, and the broader community. In addition to listening sessions, GWLN members suggest credit unions could offer psychological and spiritual counseling, yoga and mindfulness training, and more flexible options for taking time off. GWLN members say that credit unions that prioritize work/life balance live up to the cooperative principle of people helping people and do a better job supporting women in advancing to leadership. 2021 GWLN Pink Paper | 15 LISTENING COMMITTEES In response to staff stress due to Covid-19, one credit union leader set up “listening committees” for employees to share their experiences. This enabled employees to feel heard and valued and created a better relationship between management and staff. As one leader noted: “There is an unspoken stigma out there about how can a female really lead when she is a mother managing a family.” In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of one credit union observed, “Lots of women are stressed. Some of our staff members’ husbands lost their jobs […] what can I do as their CEO to help them?”