Three years after the pandemic, when a couple million women left the workforce, normalcy seems to have returned. Numbers are back at pre-pandemic level with respect to the number of active women in the workforce and labor force participation for women. In millions of expanding sectors, women are staffed across the country. Among speech language pathologists, 95.1% of the workforce is women and in terms of licensed vocational nurses, it’s 91.3%.  

Although the numbers suggest a positive outlook, hurdles still exist for women at work. Older women face an ageism bias nearly five years earlier than men. With 74,000 fewer childcare workers in 2023 from 2020, caregiving responsibilities also play a far larger role for women as compared to men. Career breaks due to family and lookism also impact the self-confidence of the women. Not to mention, their earnings being lesser than prior to their career break according to 42% of women. 

And yet, women, as they always do, persevere. Finding Professional Mentorship is one route as 87% of women mentored develop greater confidence at work. Pursuing Hybrid roles is another as 67% of women say hybrid roles have a positive impact on their career growth. Last but not least is the cosmetic surgery route with 39% of new mothers saying they are insecure about their post-baby bodies.